Ross Wilson was appointed as Newcastle United’s new sporting director last week, bringing an end to our search to find Paul Mitchell’s replacement following his departure in June.
The 41-year-old will be responsible for ‘sporting strategy, development and recruitment across men’s, women’s and Academy teams’, also ‘working closely with the club’s football leadership and executive teams.’
And within his remit is the need to oversee the contract situations of several key players within Eddie Howe’s first team, where Wilson is expected to oversee an ‘audit’ of that department before diving into talks.
The iPaper’s Mark Douglas reports that Wilson’s arrival should see negotiations step up in due course, with the club keen to extend Sven Botman’s contract now the Dutchman is approaching the final 18 months of his deal on Tyneside.
New deals for Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali are also on the agenda to reward their impressive performances over the past year, with Tino already holding preliminary discussions to extend his stay after summer interest from Man City.
It’s believed both Livramento and Botman are ‘open’ to signing new deals, while there is hope an agreement can be reached with Tonali, who appreciates the loyalty shown to him while serving his gambling ban.
In addition, decisions must also be made on the future of Fabian Schar, 33, and Kieran Trippier, 35, with the experienced duo out of contract at the end of the season, as things stand.
Although not mentioned in Douglas’ piece, the likes of Nick Pope, Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles are also in the final year of their contracts at Newcastle, with Matt Targett due to be released next summer once he returns from a loan spell with Middlesbrough.
As for those in Botman’s position, others who are out of contract in 2027 include Dan Burn, Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock.