With Eddie Howe’s appointment set to be confirmed today, The Athletic claim that our new owners will turn their attentions to the arrival of a director of football.
David Ornstein states that Ajax’s Marc Overmars has been the leading contender for the role, yet it looks like he has turned down a move to St James’ Park.
The 48-year-old held ‘initial talks’ with the club, however The Athletic have revealed this morning that he’s decided to remain with the Dutch giants.
Given the outstanding work he has done during his time at Ajax, delivering impressive recruitment, four league titles and a run to the Champions League semi-final, this will be another blow for the Saudi consortium, who look set to go back to the drawing board in their search for a new sporting director.
The report doesn’t mention any names when it comes to our back-up plan, however the likes of Luis Campos, Ralf Rangnick, Michael Edwards and Antero Henrique have all been linked with the post since the takeover went through last month.
