Newcastle United news: Magpies 'step up' interest in ex-Arsenal star as Toon 'chase' West Ham and Everton target

Panic is setting in at Newcastle United with their Premier League status well-and-truly under threat.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The new owners are already facing a number of key decisions – the most pressing one being the appointment of a new manager.

Saturday’s defeat against Chelsea has the Magpies six points adrift from safety:

Latest manager speculation

Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Newcastle’s new owners want to appoint Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as head coach and are willing to increase his current salary by five times.

The Daily Mirror reports ten Hag is top of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia’s shortlist, with plans to heavily enhance his £2million-a-year wages.

However, the club’s position in the Premier League means the 51-year-old will take some convincing to leave the Amsterdam club.

Ten Hag, who turned down the Tottenham Hotspur job last summer, is admired by Barcelona and Manchester United.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Meanwhile, according to The Times, Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins has emerged as a contender.

Former Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim is also in the running, 90mins understands, along with Lucien Favre and Paulo Fonseca.

Newcastle to ‘step up’ Marc Overmars interest

The Mirror also adds that Newcastle are expected to step up their interest in Marc Overmars as their new director of football.

Similar to the managerial search, several candidates have been linked to the role, including Luis Campos and Manchester City’s academy director Jason Wilcox.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But it is suggested former Arsenal star Overmars has been sounded out after the Mirror stated: “contact has been made through his intermediaries and the Saudis are now expected to step up their interest.”

Luring Overmars to St James’s Park would increase United’s chances of appointing ten Hag given their strong working relationship at Ajax.

Magpies eye Aaron Ramsey in January

Newcastle remain interested in Aaron Ramsey and are not put off by his extortionate wages, reports in Italy claim.

The former Arsenal midfielder earns nearly £12m-a-year at Juventus, which works out at around £225,000-a-week.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tuttosport says United’s new owners “are certainly not frightened” by his salary as they weigh up a January move.

Previously, Ramsey has been linked to Everton and West Ham, two years on since swapping England for Italy.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Newcastle United coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription; sign up here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor