Newcastle United announced the appointment of Sudarshan Gopaladesikan as their new technical director on Monday – he joins with a promising track record.
With PIF eager to take the Magpies to the next level, appointments are being made behind the scenes to reflect the project that is taking place.
Newcastle United’s owners want the club to be “number one” in the next few years, and will stop at nothing to carry on their success from last season. However, progress has been slow, with Paul Mitchell leaving as sporting director and a replacement for CEO Darren Eales yet to be found.
Reports claim Newcastle staff are frustrated with PIF’s slow decision-making processes, but things appear to be falling into place as time goes by. Sudarshan Gopaladesikan becomes the newest appointment at Newcastle, joining as a technical director from Atalanta.
The 33-year-old will report to the new sporting director once appointed. He is expected to have a hand in finding hidden gems, just like he did with Atalanta in 2022 when he pulled off a transfer coup which turned out to be very beneficial a year later.
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Sudarshan Gopaladesikan recommended Rasmus Hojlund to Atalanta in 2022
It appears Gopaladesikan, better known as ‘Suds’ was in a slightly different role with Atalanta. His title at the Serie A side was head of football intelligence, so he appears to have been given a big promotion with his move to Tyneside.
Elsewhere, he also had a role as head of sports data science at Liga Portugal side Benfica. After five years with Atalanta, he has moved to England to help Newcastle behind the scenes and boost the club’s reputation.
Suds has also had a hand in transfers, and according to The Athletic, recommended Atalanta sign a young Rasmus Hojlund from Sturm Graz in 2022. They got the deal done for around £15million, but he was then sold to Manchester United for a near-£50million profit a year later.
Clearly Suds has a good knowledge of hidden gems in Europe, so he could help Newcastle find a promising young player in Europe who could become a first-team regular or be sold on for a major profit in the future.
Newcastle now need to appoint the sporting director for him to report to. The belief is that Jason Ayto and Ross Wilson are the two leading candidates for the job.
What are Sudarshan Gopaladesikan’s responsibilities at Newcastle United?
It feels as if there are a lot of new roles being made on Tyneside, with more appointments set to happen down the line.
Jack Ross recently became Newcastle’s head of football strategy following a successful spell as an academy development coach. Elsewhere, Jacobo Solis joined Newcastle’s board of directors earlier this year.
Many will be wondering what Suds’ role at Newcastle will be. Thankfully, Newcastle’s website has explained.
“[Suds] will lead the club’s football data operations, working closely with Eddie Howe and his coaching staff and the club’s performance, medical, analysis, methodology and recruitment teams.
“His role will be dedicated to implementing data-informed practices across all sporting departments throughout men’s, women’s and Academy teams.”
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