00:00Newcastle United have appointed Ross Wilson as the club's new sporting director.
00:05It comes after Paul Mitchell's departure back in June.
00:08Newcastle navigated through the summer transfer window without a sporting director in place.
00:13And what transpired was perhaps the most chaotic, eventful transfer window for Newcastle United in recent memory.
00:20We saw £250 million spent, a Premier League record transfer sale with Alexander Isak going to Liverpool.
00:26And pretty much Newcastle dominated the transfer narrative, particularly surrounding Alexander Isak Liverpool.
00:32But then also the signings they've brought in, which could prove a success in time.
00:35The early signs with particularly Nick Valtemada and Malik Chau have been really positive.
00:41And hopefully when the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Johan Wissar come back to full fitness,
00:46we'll really start to see the benefits of what was a very busy, very active transfer window for Newcastle United in the end.
00:51But it was a slow start. It was a bit chaotic at times, but we'll wait and see what will happen.
00:57But now the dust has settled on that transfer window.
00:59Newcastle finally made an appointment of a sporting director, a role Eddie Howe described as absolutely pivotal
01:05and something he was desperate to happen after the summer transfer window concluded.
01:10And Ross Wilson is that man.
01:11I think if you could go back early in the summer, reported on the Shields Gazette, as it was various other places,
01:17Ross Wilson was the leading candidate to replace Paul Mitchell.
01:21And it was just a case of getting that agreement reached with Nottingham Forest,
01:25getting that deal triggered where Nottingham Forest were happy, Newcastle were happy,
01:30and then Ross Wilson could join.
01:32And over the weekend, that was confirmed.
01:34Newcastle's speaking about triggering Ross Wilson's release,
01:37but the actual terms of the release will remain undisclosed and private between the two clubs.
01:42So now Ross Wilson is officially at Newcastle.
01:45What should he be looking to do? What should his priorities be?
01:47So he doesn't fall into maybe the same traps, Paul Mitchell and even Dan Ashworth did previously working for the club.
01:53Because what has happened is Ross Wilson is Newcastle's third sporting director in three seasons.
01:57And this is a role that should be a long-term role.
01:59So we need some stability in that regard.
02:01And can Ross Wilson be the man to provide that?
02:04I think in order to do that, what will be key is a strong working relationship with Eddie Howe.
02:09Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell, it's no secret, didn't really see eye to eye.
02:12Paul Mitchell comes in very bullish in his approach, sort of a sledgehammer approach in a lot of ways.
02:17And I remember his first interview he did with the local media, sort of questioning whether Newcastle's transfer policy was fit for purpose.
02:24He was quite critical of the club and how that operated.
02:27Yet on paper, a lot of success had come from Newcastle's transfer policy and the way they'd been doing the business under Dan Ashworth previously.
02:34And also Eddie Howe as head coach.
02:37So, yeah, that didn't really go down well.
02:39And pretty much Paul Mitchell was at the club best part of a year and didn't really have any tangible impact in terms of transfers or anything like that.
02:48Some success with outgoings.
02:50The likes of Lloyd Kelly, Miguel Almeron, those were offloaded in January.
02:54Favourable deals for the club.
02:55But in terms of incomings and actual signings made, very little work done.
02:59So, Ross Wilson will have to establish a key relationship, a strong relationship with Eddie Howe.
03:04And that was something the club were keen to get across.
03:07And Ross Wilson was keen to get across in the statement released.
03:10Wilson spoke about his conversations with the ownership, being extremely positive and also being in regular contact with Eddie Howe and David Hopkinson.
03:17Citing the trust, cohesion and alignment that they're already building is feeling strong.
03:21And that's going to be so positive moving forward because that was something that wasn't quite in place with Paul Mitchell previously.
03:27And ultimately, if Newcastle are to be a success and continue to progress, sporting director, head coach, CEO, even with David Hopkinson involved, that cohesion, that unification, if you like, is going to be so important.
03:40One really important thing that will fall under Ross Wilson's remit somewhat will be contracts with key players.
03:45We saw Alexander Isak sort of broken promises over his contract situation, saw him force a move out of the club in the summer.
03:52And Newcastle will be absolutely desperate to avoid a repeat situation.
03:55So, you're looking at the key players, you're looking at someone like Bruno, he's got less than three years left on his contract.
04:01Sandro Tenali being a big one, given how regularly he's linked with a return to Italy or moved away from Newcastle United.
04:08Whereas Bruno is already on a lucrative contract in Newcastle, he's signed a new deal a couple of years ago.
04:13There was a report in Brazil he's been offered a new deal.
04:14So, we'll wait and see what comes from that.
04:16But Sandro Tenali, for me, by the end of the season, will have only two years left on his contract and no doubt clubs will be sniffing around him.
04:23So, for me, Sandro Tenali, Ross Wilson should be looking to get him tied down to a new long-term deal as soon as possible.
04:29This hole, where he's got three years left on his contract, that was the narrative around Alexander Isak, which is fair enough.
04:35But we know that made no difference in the end.
04:38Get Sandro Tenali tied down to a new long-term deal and that will be beneficial for Newcastle United and keep them in control.
04:43Because, all of a sudden, come next summer, he's got two years left on his contract.
04:47And Eddie Howe's even said previously, players with two years left on the contract, it's a dangerous situation.
04:51You sort of need to make a decision over whether you're giving them a new deal or whether you're even looking to sell him.
04:56Because, in a PSR world, you can't risk such high-value assets.
04:59I'd argue Sandro Tenali's probably Newcastle's most valuable player.
05:02Now they've sold Alexander Isak.
05:03Can't risk that contract running down and then losing him for a much lower fee than he's really worth.
05:09Or, even potentially nothing further down the line.
05:11So, Sandro Tenali being a top one.
05:13I'd even look at Bruno Tino-Livermento, whose contracts expire in 2028.
05:17And even, the shorter-term, decisions to be made on players like Fabian Scherke and Trivia,
05:21who are out of contract at the end of the season.
05:24But then you also go, well, the 36 and 35 next year.
05:27So, do you move them on?
05:29I think a big decision has to be made over them.
05:31Because there's still, even this season, proven they're worth to Eddie Howe and the Newcastle side
05:35and senior members of the squad as well.
05:38But whether they'll be happy playing a lower key role in next season or the seasons to come remains to be seen.
05:45Another player I want to mention, who has less than two years left on his contract come the summer,
05:48will be in over the final year of his contract, is Sven Botman.
05:52And it's easy to almost forget Sven Botman's contract's been running down,
05:55because he's hardly featured for Newcastle.
05:56He's been injured, but you go back to his first season at the club, he was brilliant.
05:59He is still only 25 years old, and at his best, is one of the best at Newcastle United.
06:05One of Newcastle's best defenders, arguably Newcastle's best centre-back, you could say.
06:09And one of the best in his position in the Premier League when he's at full tilt, as we saw in his first season.
06:14And I think so far this season, we've seen a lot of positives from Sven Botman coming back in the side.
06:19If he keeps his fitness, him and Malik Chow could be the future centre-back partnership for Newcastle United.
06:23But in order for that to happen, Sven Botman needs to be tied down to a new long-term deal,
06:28because, like I say, his contract expires in 2027.
06:31I wouldn't rush into that, necessarily, because I think Sven Botman still has to prove his fitness
06:35and show that consistency over a longer stretch of games.
06:39It's still only 10 games into the new season now.
06:42So, if Sven Botman can stay for it, heading into the new year, really get a good body of games under his belt,
06:48then I think Ross Wilson needs to be looking at that contract for Sven Botman and getting him tied down to a new long-term deal.
06:53Because he's still a player, 25, turned 26 in January, with his best years ahead of him as a centre-back.
06:58He's not a player who necessarily relies on pace either.
07:01He's very, very clever tactically, and his distribution, he is a top-quality defender.
07:06There's no argument when Newcastle fans and journalists and even his fellow teammates describe him as a world's voice,
07:13because at his very best, he is top, top class, and I'd like to see new contracts for Sven Botman.
07:19And the final thing, I think, goes without saying, really, and it's one of the key remits of a sporting director,
07:24is to establish a clear transfer strategy.
07:26One criticism you can have of Newcastle is the transfer strategy.
07:29The past couple of windows has been a bit all over the place.
07:32I think it was a bit improvised in the summer, you could see, by overspending on, I'd say, arguably every player.
07:38Even Malik Chau, £35 million, looks a bargain now, but AC Milan were willing to sell him for £10 million less than that earlier in the transfer window.
07:46So if Newcastle had been proactive and acted quickly, they could have got Malik Chau for a much cheaper deal, potentially.
07:53It's easier saying that in hindsight, but I think there's a lot of money Newcastle spent this summer just gone,
07:59that they didn't really need to, and with a clear transfer strategy in place and building that trust with Eddie Howe,
08:05then Newcastle can really progress on and off the pitch, while also avoiding what they've experienced previously with PSR.
08:12And funnily enough, Ross Wilson has experienced that firsthand in terms of Newcastle's PSR struggles,
08:17because obviously, working at Nottingham Forest, that deal with Elliot Anderson and Odysseus Flacadimos
08:23proved to be very, very beneficial to Nottingham Forest, where they've got £20 million for a goalkeeper who's not worth £20 million,
08:30who wasn't playing and indeed hasn't played for Newcastle, and managed to sign a player who is now an England starter
08:35and one of the best in his position in terms of a 22-year-old young English midfielder.
08:41He's one of the best around, so a great, great deal for Nottingham Forest as a result of Newcastle's PSR mismanagement
08:48or the situation Newcastle found themselves in financially at that time.
08:51So Newcastle need to avoid that while still building and looking to extract maximum value from not only player sales,
08:58which have shown signs of getting better, certainly this summer, but everything felt a bit forced.
09:03Like Sean Longstaff, yeah, left on his contract, felt a bit of a forced sale.
09:07Even Alexander Isak, Newcastle, did what they could to try and keep him, but it was an unsalvageable situation.
09:12So, yeah, a bit more proactivity in the transfer market, a bit more strategy in place, make things seem a lot less improvised.
09:20That would be key for Ross Wilson moving forward.
09:23And if Newcastle can do that, if Ross Wilson can do that, then we'll really start to see signs of consistent progress for Newcastle United
09:29and they'll break that cycle, hopefully, of spending heavy, getting into Europe and then regressing and missing out on Europe
09:39and then getting in PSR trouble again.
09:41That cycle, which has been the case the past couple of seasons, albeit it's only been on and off for a couple of seasons,
09:47hopefully that cycle breaks and a key transfer strategy and a clear transfer strategy implemented by Ross Wilson
09:53and with the help of Eddie Howe, we'll be key to that moving forward.
09:55So, you can check out all the reaction, all the news to the appointment of Ross Wilson
10:00and all the latest Newcastle United news as we prepare to return to Premier League action.
10:06I'll be down at Brighton on Saturday as well as Eddie Howe's press conference on the Friday morning,
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