Newcastle United
Premier League • England
Newcastle will make target third highest paid in the Prem to fend off Man Utd
Newcastle are willing to make one of their targets the third highest paid manager in the Premier League – behind only Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
The new owners of the Tyneside club are taking their time in making their first appointment. Graeme Jones has stepped in as caretaker manager since the departure of Steve Bruce. It seems he could be in the Magpies dugout until at least the November international break.
That gives them more time to thoroughly explore the options of who could kick off the new era at St James’ Park.
Former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca reportedly impressed Amanda Staveley in an interview. He therefore leapt to the top of the candidates.
But according to a more recent report from Europe, ex-Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre has jumped to the front of the queue.
And now there has been another twist in the tale. Daily Mail have claimed Newcastle are willing to pay Erik Ten Hag £11m a year to fill the vacancy.
That would make the man currently in charge of Ajax one of the top three earners in the English top flight.
Only Man City’s Guardiola, who is on top with £20m, and Liverpool’s Klopp, who earns £15m, are paid more.
The report claims Ten Hag, 51, has reservations about jumping ship. He has built a solid foundation with the Dutch club since joining in December 2017.
The proposed figure that would net him a £6m salary after tax could go a long way to convince him, though.
And it may also significantly help to fend off any potential interest from Manchester United. They could soon be looking for a new manager themselves.
And Ten Hag’s name has been mentioned in the conversation surrounding an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer successor.
Newcastle jump wouldn’t be ‘smart’
Dutch journalist Arno Vermeulen recently rubbished the idea of his compatriot joining Newcastle.
Via Sport Witness, he said: “Why in God’s name would he go to Newcastle, I wonder? He’s really smart.
“He started working at Ajax in the top of the Netherlands. Together with others, he may well have made Ajax the European giant.
“I can imagine that he will make another jump, but you must forget the money. It’s about the challenge.
“Then wouldn’t it be much smarter to wait for clubs like Manchester City or Manchester United? Clubs that are established. If you win trophies [with Ajax] for a few years, that is very valuable.”
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