Newcastle United chief executive Darren Eales is expected to meet the media following the winter transfer window.
Newcastle’s head of media, Lee Marshall, confirmed the conversation when head coach Eddie Howe was asked if any other senior figures at the club, such as Eales or sporting director Paul Mitchell, would be discussing transfers and Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules on the record.
After Marshall confirmed the conversation, Howe said, “I like it when I don’t have to answer any questions!”
Last year, after the club’s finances were released, Eales and chief financial officer Simon Capper spoke to the media. Official documentation available through Companies House revealed Newcastle was on the verge of violating PSR, and Eales told the club that a large sale would be required to comply with the rules.
Newcastle ultimately sold academy product Elliot Anderson and recent recruit Yankuba Minteh to Nottingham Forest and Brighton for a combined £68 million. The statistic assisted Newcastle in meeting PSR requirements and avoiding a potential Premier League point deduction this season.
This season, no Premier League club has been found in breach of PSR, but last season, both Forest and Everton were charged and deducted points.
A quiet transfer window for Newcastle
It was another frustrating transfer window for Newcastle with no fresh first-team arrivals and the club’s sole major summer signing, Lloyd Kelly, being loaned to Juventus. Miguel Almiron also left to join Atlanta United for £10million.
For a club vying for Champions League participation and facing another Carabao Cup final, a third consecutive transfer window without any substantial first-team acquisitions has raised concerns.
Newcastle were eager to buy Marc Guehi for a large number of money in the summer, but the deal fell through. Signing Guehi would have required the club to sell a high-profile player before the June 30 PSR deadline in the summer, a risk that they ultimately decided against.
The hope is that by not investing in recent transfer windows, Newcastle will be able to invest more money to bolster the team in the summer.
“It’s difficult to give clear, definitive answers about what the future looks like,” Howe said of the summer expenditures.
“I believe that for the past year, we’ve been dealing with a circumstance in which we’ve had to make decisions that we wouldn’t normally make in football. Hopefully, by being prudent, we will be able to avoid making those mistakes in the future and instead focus solely on football decisions.
“But when we get to that point, I can’t give you a specific date, and it would be wrong of me to do so. Everything we do is geared toward that goal.”
This is why Eales and other senior club executives will need to provide more clarity as the club enters a critical moment. There have also been recent changes about the training ground and the future of St James’ Park, which Newcastle’s CEO will be able to address in the near future.
Newcastle United are lining up Darren Eales’ replacement.
Last year, Eales declared his decision to resign as Newcastle’s CEO owing to health concerns. The 52-year-old has been able to continue in the post and will do so until the club can find and hire a permanent replacement for him at St James’ Park.
Eales joined Newcastle as CEO from Atlanta United in 2022, and the team has since advanced to the Champions League and two Carabao Cup finals.
