Newcastle appoint Ross Wilson as sporting director following the departure of Nottingham Forest

Newcastle United have appointed Ross Wilson as the club’s new sporting director after activating his release clause with Nottingham Forest.

The Magpies said Wilson would be “responsible for sporting strategy, development and recruitment across the men’s, women’s and academy teams, and will work closely with the club’s football leadership and executive teams”.

The 41-year-old, who previously played for Southampton and Rangers, joins from Forest, where he served as chief football officer, after being released by Newcastle, although the terms of his release “will remain confidential between the clubs”.

Wilson fills the vacancy previously held by Paul Mitchell, who announced his resignation in June.

While there have been rumors of tensions between Mitchell and Eddie Howe, the Newcastle boss admitted the sporting director “protects the manager from a lot of things”.

Wilson said in a statement: “I am absolutely delighted to be here at Newcastle United. This is a special club, and I fully understand the passion, ambition and expectations of our amazing fans, as well as the ambition and desire of our ownership to continue to develop and build a stronger Newcastle United.”

“My conversations with ownership have been very positive, and I have also been in regular contact with Eddie Howe and David Hopkinson. The trust, cohesion and alignment we are building already looks strong, and we believe uniting as a team will be very important as we continue to move the club forward together.”

“I’m excited to be working with everyone across the board within our football department. There is already excellent work being done here, and from the first team to the women’s team and the academy, my aim is to build on that, strengthen our structures over time, and work with our staff to create environments where players and staff can continue to thrive.”

Newcastle returns to action on Saturday, October 18 when they travel to Brighton in the Premier League before hosting Jose Mourinho’s Benfica the following Tuesday.