Newcastle 100 Days: Saudi Arabia is fully committed to rebuilding the training base, and the top brass says that there is money but not stupidity

The Athletic UK Newcastle correspondents George Caulkin and Chris Waugh wrote a lengthy column a hundred days after The Newcastle was acquired, with the headline —100 days since the takeover: Difficulty in the transfer market, naivety with Emery and better ice baths

Ta reached out to a number of agents, Newcastle's new management, senior sources, new and old employees inside the training ground, who revealed from various angles the first 100 days after the Saudi acquisition of Newcastle, and several newcastle plans that ta can reveal include—

1. The CEO interview is ongoing. Like looking for a sports director, Newcastle has given most of the search to executive search firms, but the final decision remains in their hands, and it's hoped they'll get the new CEO in place in the coming weeks. Sources believe that the CEO position is very, very important and may further promote innovation within Newcastle when he arrives.

2. Newcastle wants to hire a sporting director or football director first, which is "likely to be done within next month", while Brighton's well-respected technical director Dan Ashworth is also on the interview list for the role. One senior source said: "They have to be the right people, they have to understand what Newcastle fans want, it's important. ”

3. Newcastle's training ground will undergo a "complete refurbishment" this summer. So far, due to the lack of time, the Saudi hierarchy has arranged only a few detailed upgrades: including improving the comfort of the shower area, providing players with better and more exquisite food, and the TV screen that has been playing celestial news before is now full of schedules and player schedules. "Newcastle has suffered from injuries throughout history, so we're eager to understand the science behind it," one senior person said.

4. It may take 3-4 years to fully rebuild the training base, but the Newcastle executives want the reconstructed Newcastle infrastructure to be comparable to any of the top giants, and they have already considered the relocation related issues. One of the directors, Reuben's family, is a longtime real estate investor in Tyneside, and sources have revealed that they have conducted research on the issue.

5. In addition to visiting the locker room after the disappointing FA Cup loss to Cambridge United, the club's top brass regularly engages in informal dialogues with the first team. "There's better communication with the players." A dressing room source said, "There will be news after the game, either through the coach or the captain. We get either "well done" or "go ahead, we're together," and those are positive signs. ”

6. St. James' 'Bar Ix' will soon be renamed "Shearer's Bar" in honor of Newcastle's record-breaking goalscorer, former captain and head coach Alain Shearer. This overturned a controversial decision of the Ashley era. He also discussed bringing the statue into the club with TA's columnist Shearer — which, according to a senior source, is "where the Shearer statue should be." Now, it's just outside.

7. Newcastle executives are still happy with Eddie Howe, "He's a great coach, a smart guy, he's obsessed with keeping us improving – he works around the clock. One of our sources said, "He's professional and we're glad he's coming." ”

After Wood and Trippier join Newcastle, more new signings are expected to join Newcastle in the winter window. The source said: There is a lot of about the Newcastle management, but they don't care at all, they are fully committed to it, and they are doing their best for Newcastle. ”

A member of the management told him: "Because we are in the bottom of the line, we have to 'sell our stories' and let the players be persuaded by us." The best player is already at a very good club, or has a European game, so why did he join Newcastle? City saw Robinho as a landmark signing, but that didn't make sense for us. We brought in Trippier and Wood because they were willing to help Newcastle and take on challenges and be able to contribute to the team, which is the reality that we need them. ”

And some people will still have doubts, such as Newcastle's now precarious backline, spending so much time chasing Sven Portman in Lille, is it really the right thing to do?

Some people think that Newcastle chased Portman and chased Emery in the first place, and one of the words they keep mentioning is innocence, which is also the arrogance that some old people in football bring with them. But agents familiar with the situation came to the exact opposite conclusion: "The plans they come up with are impressive, very detailed, very precise, they have a clearer plan for their future than most clubs, they know exactly what they want." ”

And what's even more difficult for Newcastle now is that without Chanley, without a CEO and without a sporting director, the couple of Staffi and Gudosi have a heavy responsibility. Ruben accepted the advice of head coach Eddie Howe, with chief scouts Steve Nickerson and Nick Hammond temporarily serving as advisors, tantamount to the completely inexperienced Gudosi and Staffville leading two temporary advisers to complete all deals and negotiations.

One source said: "They learn on the job, but they learn quickly. No matter what you say about Amanda, she's a bargaining snob. Another said: "Clubs and agents publish a lot of disinformation, using us to push up prices and attract attention. But these people listened to me: Newcastle is rich, but we're not the kind of idiots who throw money around and listen to rumors. ”