'See you soon' - Newcastle United chief is already in contact with potential next major arrival
Newcastle United are pushing ahead in their search to appoint a new chief executive.
It was announced in September that Darren Eales would be stepping down from the position after being diagnosed with a chronic form of blood cancer. Eales then confirmed he would be staying on until a successor is found.
"Being CEO of Newcastle United is an extraordinary privilege and I am incredibly proud to be part of the club's exciting journey,” said Eales.
"However, it has become apparent to me that now is the right time to make this decision so that I can prioritise my health and my family.
"In the short term, it will be business as usual in terms of running the club's day-to-day operations, and I will give my full support to a transitionary period that will enable the board to carefully assess and appoint my successor.
"I want to extend my sincere thanks to the club's supporters, ownership, players and staff. I'm proud of what we have collectively achieved and I'm excited to see what's ahead for everyone as the club builds towards a future of sustained success."
In the same statement, the club’s chairman and governor of PIF Yasir Al-Rumayyan said “we will work closely with Darren to hand over the CEO role at the appropriate moment following a carefully considered search process”.
The search is underway and according to Mail Sport, former Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham is one of the candidates under consideration. The 43-year-old worked closely with chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone at Arsenal for seven years.
Following confirmation of Venkatesham’s departure from Arsenal earlier this year, Silverstone wrote on LinkedIn: “'Congratulations on an incredible career at Arsenal. Obviously I was extremely fortunate to spend seven years working alongside you and am extremely grateful for the opportunity you gave me, the incredible work we did together and areas where you helped me develop.
“Some great (and amusing) memories too. I know you'll continue to work like a maniac for the next year but I do hope you take some time to reflect and enjoy the last lap. See you soon.”
Silverstone and Venkatesham were behind one of Arsenal’s most biggest commercial deals having agreed a £300million partnership with Adidas in 2019. Within a year of arriving at Newcastle, Silverstone brought Adidas back.