Newcastle United set for sixth boardroom change since £305m deal agreed

The i have reported that Newcastle are looking to appoint a new board member linked to 15% co-owners RB Sports & Media. Jamie Reuben is RB Sports & Media’s only representative on the board while majority owners have three board members; chairman and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan as well as PIF officials Abdulmajid Al-Hagbani and Asmaa Rezeeq.

Newcastle’s board has changed slightly since the £305million takeover of the club in October 2021 where initially Reuben and Staveley made up the board before Al Rumayyan was appointed shortly after. Former Saudi Golf chief executive Majed Al Sorour was appointed to the board in May 2022 before resigning in December that year.

In February 2023, Al-Hagbani and Rezeeq were appointed to the board. In July Staveley resigned from her position at the club.

Her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi also left the club though wasn’t officially listed as a director of the club.

A newly appointed director would represent the sixth boardroom change since the takeover three appointments and two departures so far.

There have been significant changes behind the scenes at Newcastle in 2024 with sporting director Dan Ashworth leaving and being replaced by Paul Mitchell.

James Bunce has also joined as performance director and Brad Miller was appointed as chief operations officer.

Meanwhile, Newcastle’s first-team has remained largely unchanged with Howe and his staff remaining amid the uncertainty and few additions made to the first-team during a frustrating summer transfer window.

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Al-Rumayyan and the PIF board-members visited Newcastle earlier this month to meet Howe, Mitchell and the key figures at St James’ Park following the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Al-Rumayyan is said to have reinforced his support and PIF’s ambition after a difficult period for the club.

“[Al-Rumayyan] is as ambitious and enthused as ever,” Mitchell admitted in an interview following the meeting.

“I only know from my interaction - I can't speak for anyone else - but he's super ambitious and he wants us to perform at the number one level. He wants us to perform not only through the money we spend - he wants us to be best in class across everything we do, whether that be youth development, the women's team, scouting and recruitment, data and insight, coaching, innovation.

“He wants our position to be at the top, but to be there for the reasons that people admire as a really well-oiled, well-executed machine of a football operation. That for me came across in his message."