Newcastle are considering Paul Mitchell, Paolo Maldini and Hugo Viana as potential successors to Dan Ashworth as sporting director, according to I News.
Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave as negotiations continue with Manchester United over a compensation package.
In the interim, the Magpies have hired executive search consultancy firm Odgers Berndtson to run due diligence on possible replacements.
They have identified Mitchell as a frontrunner for the job, with the 42-year-old having worked successfully in positions at Southampton, Tottenham, RB Leipzig and Monaco.
Mitchell is currently out of work, having left Monaco back in October but he was, until recently, the favourite for the post at Manchester United before they attempted to poach Ashworth.
Newcastle could hire a former player
Viana will already be known to Magpies supporters, having played for the club between 2002 and 2006. Since 2018, though, he has been Sporting Lisbon’s sporting director where he has struck up an excellent partnership with head coach Ruben Amorim.
Together, the pair helped create a team which won the Liga Portugal title back in 2021, and they are on course to win their second championship in four years this season.
The potential appointment of a footballing legend
Neither Mitchell nor Viana are probably as intriguing a prospect as the club potentially hiring Paolo Maldini. The AC Milan legend does have experience of being in the boardroom, having held the role of technical director with the Rossoneri between 2019 and 2023.
Maldini only left the San Siro after the Serie A club was sold by hedge fund Elliot Management to RedBird Capital Partners last year. He showed that he was a confident administrator during his spell as director, with his team winning the league title in 2022.
One candidate who has seemingly fallen out of consideration, though, is Chelsea’s former head of scouting Scott McLachlan. It was reported last week that the 54-year-old was in the running to replace Ashworth.
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