As revealed by The Athletic, Newcastle United’s new owners have appointed Nick Hammond as a temporary consultant ahead of the January transfer window.
With the club yet to appoint a director of football, it seems the Saudi-backed consortium are making short-term plans ahead of what promises to be an absolutely crucial month.
Hammond has previously worked as a DoF as Celtic and Reading, with The Athletic stating that his counsel, expertise and contacts in the game will help guide us through ‘one of the most important windows in Newcastle’s history.’
Interestingly, the report also claim that he will be tasked to secure an athletic, ball-playing centre-back, progressive full-back and dynamic midfielder at the very minimum, with these deemed ‘priority’ signings at present.
All three must be ready to ‘immediately improve’ the starting 11, while an attacking midfielder and striker could also be targeted.
The following snippet from The Athletic’s piece is also worth noting, explaining why Hammond is not in the running for the DoF role on a permanent basis:
‘At this stage, it is not thought that Hammond is in the running for the permanent sporting director role. Newcastle want a substantive figure who has the nous to influence all aspects of the football operation, from the first team, to the academy to the construction of a new training ground, with potential sites across the city and wider region being considered. “We need someone to build the club,” a senior source said.‘
