Former Chelsea pair heading list to succeed Bruce as Newcastle takeover goes through

Steve Pearson 07 Oct 2021 5:36 PM

A pair of former Chelsea bosses are among the early frontrunners to take the managerial reins at Newcastle as their new owners go in search of a ‘higher pedigree’ of manager, per a report.

The Saudi Arabia-backed takeover of Newcastle United was confirmed on Thursday evening via a Premier League statement. The major obstacle blocking the acquisition stemmed from a television piracy issue in the Middle East.

However, Saudi Arabia recently indicated it would lift its ban on Qatar-based broadcaster beIN SPORTS. That has cleared the path for progress to be made, and the takeover has now been given the green light.

Now, attention has quickly turned to what the Magpies will look like under new ownership.

As much as £250m is expected to be invested in players and infrastructure as the Saudi’s look to rebuild Newcastle. In an exclusive feature, TEAMtalk took a look at five major names who could make the move to the North East.

But aside from player changes, a new manager is also expected to be installed. Indeed, a recent report indicated Steve Bruce is already well aware of his fate.

Now, Football London claim a pair of former Chelsea bosses have emerged as the early frontrunners.

Firstly, former title winner Antonio Conte is cited. The enigmatic Italian is a serial winner having lifted league titles at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan.

After leaving Inter this summer, he was heavily linked with Tottenham, though an agreement could not be reached.

On the other end of the spectrum, Frank Lampard is also touted. Lampard laid the foundations from which Thomas Tuchel is current reaping the rewards at Stamford Bridge.

His managerial stint at the club where he is a legend ended in January after a poor stretch of results. He too was linked with a return to management in London this summer at Crystal Palace before Patrick Vieira was ultimately selected.

The Football London report claims the Saudi backers want someone of a ‘higher pedigree’ than Bruce to lead the club forward.

Questions would be asked as to whether Lampard fits that bill. However, bringing Conte on board would represent a massive coup.

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Newcastle targeting Man City coup

Meanwhile, Newcastle United could launch an immediate raid on Manchester City and inflict a ‘major loss’ on the reigning champions once their Saudi takeover officially goes through.

With the television piracy obstacle now cleared, the Telegraph claim Newcastle’s potential new owners could raid Manchester City for Academy Director, Jason Wilcox.

The former England international, 50, has held the position at the Etihad since 2017. But the Telegraph state Wilcox is ‘among those considered suitable’ for the newly-created Sporting Director role at Newcastle.

If appointed, he would head their ‘drive to create one of the ‘most successful development programmes in world football’.

The article claims he would be a ‘major loss’ to Pep Guardiola’s club.