Newcastle United get PIF green light to make 'elite' addition after Eddie Howe talks
Newcastle United are looking to make a key addition to their backroom staff ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Newcastle have just experienced their best campaign in the modern era by securing a first major domestic trophy in 70 years while also qualifying for the Champions League.
They did all that without a member of staff that many other Premier League clubs have in place - a recognised set-piece coach. It didn’t seem to do Newcastle much harm as a set-piece routine scored by Dan Burn played a key role in their 2-1 Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool in March.
But now the club are looking to address things ahead of the new season to ease the workload on assistant manager Jason Tindall and set-play analyst Kieran Taylor and employ a new full-time set-play coach.
Eddie Howe discusses set-play coach at Newcastle United
Earlier in the 2024-25 season, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe was asked why his side were one of the few in the Premier League without a recognised set-piece coach.
Newcastle’s poor record from set-pieces at the time was also put to Howe, to which he replied: “It’s something we have discussed, looked at and talked with the club about.
“We have a set play analyst who is very good. Kieran does a lot of work with Jason regarding our set plays, they work incredibly hard to try and improve our product from our corners and set plays, but also from a defensive viewpoint which we’ve not been too bad.
“A lot of work goes into them, we practice them a lot. Sometimes you go on runs where you score and sometimes you go on runs when you don’t but we do know it is an area we need to contribute to.
“It can win you games and it can really make the difference, as other teams have found out this year.”
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NUFC want ‘elite-level’ set-piece coach
Newcastle are looking to appoint an ‘elite-level’ set-piece coach with at least a UEFA A licence.
The job description posted by the club read: “ We’re looking for an experienced and innovative elite-level coach to support our First Team by leading the strategic planning, design, and execution of all offensive and defensive set-play routines.
“The Set Play Coach will work closely with the first-team coaching staff, analysts, and players to maximise performance outcomes from dead-ball situations.
“Collaborating with the wider Analysis Team you will conduct detailed video and data based analysis to identify set-piece trends and vulnerabilities, delivering high-quality, position specific training sessions to ensure high performance.
“This is an outstanding opportunity to directly impact the continued growth of an ambitious Premier League club.
“Possessing a UEFA A licence, you will have significant experience of set-play coaching and development gained in an elite coaching environment.
“Working closely with our Head Coach and broader, innovative, elite First Team Coaching and multi-disciplinary teams you will be resilient to meet the high workloads and sustain output throughout the intense demands of the schedules of professional football.”