Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has admitted it was ‘hugely detrimental’ that the club did not have a sporting director during the summer transfer window.
The Magpies were left without a sporting director following Paul Mitchell’s departure, with Howe, head of recruitment Steve Nickson and assistant head of recruitment Andy Howe left in charge of the club’s summer transfer business.
Newcastle managed to do some decent business in the end but it was a summer of frustration as a number of very public transfer targets ended up signing for other clubs.
Ross Wilson has since been appointed as Mitchell’s replacement and the former Nottingham Forest supremo outlined his transfer vision to members of the North East media on Monday.
Wilson suggested there is better value targeting players in foreign markets than the Premier League and a criticism of Newcastle’s recruitment, at times, is that Howe has been too wedded to signing players with English top flight experience.
Four of Newcastle’s six summer signings were in that mould but the two signed from abroad, Nick Woltemade and Malick Thiaw, have been the two most successful incomings so far this season.
Wilson and Howe have struck up a positive working relationship so far and when asked if he was aligned with the sporting director’s vision, Howe revealed he feels the club are now in a place to utilise the foreign markets and feels they will be in a much stronger position in the transfer window now Wilson is in place.
“I think that is something that is very, very wise from Ross,” Howe told Chronicle Live.
“We have tried to utilise the foreign market without probably having the expertise in previous seasons that we need to make consistently good decisions in those markets.
“I think the foreign players we have signed from other leagues have done really well so that is certainly a route and an avenue that I would back and one I would support but, of course, you need the network, you need the people in the right places to help that process.
“I think Ross will give us all of that. I think he will use his vast experience and build up his team and his method of work.
“He has certainly made a really impressive start here and not having a sporting director last summer was hugely detrimental to what we were trying to do so to have all those positions now filled is a huge relief.”