The new owners on Tyneside are set to interview Antero Henrique and Ralf Rangnick for the role of sporting director at Newcastle, according to The Mirror.
While many fans are eager to see the back of Steve a Bruce and feel a new manager should be the first move by our new owners, all reports suggest that Staveley and Co are keen on bringing in a director of football to oversee on-field matters.
This appointment could perhaps be even bigger than the managerial appointment, as the man who takes charge will likely be on Tyneside for the long-term rebuild of the club.
Henrique, 53, has previously worked at Porto and PSG, having a reputation for unearthing gems in his home country Portugal, with some reports suggesting he would be keen on hiring Andre Villas-Boas at Newcastle if he were to be given the job.
Rangnick is famous for his recent work at RB Leipzig, where his scouting network helped transform them from relative obscurity to one of the most prominent club sides in Germany.
He is currently contracted to Lokomotiv Moscow, but is thought to be “keeping his options open” to any potential project that would undergo at Newcastle.
Simon Bird’s piece for The Mirror claims that the new regime will appoint a manager who can build the first-team from the ground up, but also wants a powerful sporting director to help NUFC develop an identity throughout the club while scouting the best young players on the continent.
