Newcastle United

Newcastle United

Premier League • England

Mohammed bin Salman goes big with incredible ploy to install world-class Newcastle coach

Mohammed Bin Salman giving a speech

Majority Newcastle owner Mohammed bin Salman wants to ‘imitate’ a European giant by bringing in their manager and sporting director, according to reports.

The Magpies look set for an eventful 12 months as they get used to their new owners. They are now the richest club in world football and could follow in the footsteps of Manchester City.

Plenty of talented stars are being reportedly courted by the Magpies, including Niklas Sule and Aaron Ramsey.

Newcastle officials are also looking for Steve Bruce’s replacement. The Englishman left his role as manager by mutual consent on Wednesday morning.

Well-known coaches Brendan Rodgers and Antonio Conte are in the running to take over. Former England players Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney have also been tipped for the job.

Those names have now been joined by Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone. Spanish outlet AS (via The Sun) write that bin Salman wants to appoint the Argentine.

He is hoping to emulate Atletico’s recent success in La Liga and in Europe. Under Simeone they have won two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and reached the Champions League final.

The 51-year-old is a charismatic manager with plenty of love for the Atletico faithful. But reports suggest his head can be turned by the offer of an exciting project on Tyneside.

Bin Salman also wants to bring in Atletico’s sporting director, Andrea Berta. He has been integral to the Spanish club’s rise over the past decade.

While the managerial links continue, Bruce will be focusing on Newcastle’s upcoming fixtures. They travel to Crystal Palace in their next Premier League game on Saturday afternoon. The following week they host Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea.


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Sutton backs Newcastle to sign Arnautovic

Former striker Chris Sutton reckons the Magpies could go in for Marko Arnautovic.

The centre-forward has previously represented Stoke City and West Ham in the Prem. He managed 22 goals in 65 matches during his time at the London Stadium.

Arnautovic went to China in 2019 but is now back in one of Europe’s top five leagues. He plays for Bologna in the Italian top flight.

While appearing on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sutton said: “They will probably sign [Marko] Arnautovic or someone from China.

“They will sign mercenaries. That’s what they will have to do – pay over the odds. Pay them inflated prices, inflated wages. That’s the only way in January.”

Sutton also claimed that Arnautovic ‘goes where the money is’. He picked up around £194,000 a week while playing for Shanghai Port.

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