Newcastle Jets executive chairman Shane Mattiske says the departure of football manager Craig Deans and ongoing ownership talks will not "slow down" the recruitment and retention of players for next season.
The Jets' controversial 4-2 loss to the Central Coast at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday all but ended any hope of making the finals. They sit in ninth spot on 25 points, eight behind the sixth-placed Mariners with three games to play.
Though focused on finishing the season strongly, starting with Sunday's trip to Macarthur, Mattiske and coach Arthur Papas have started to plan for the 2022-23 campaign.
The Jets have nine players contracted for next season headed by leading goal-scorer Beqa Mikeltadze, in-form midfielder Angus Thurgate and experienced defenders Matt Jurman and Jordan Elsey.
On-loan Brazilian star Daniel Penha is awaiting the handing down of a suspension which is likely to rule him out for the season. He and fellow import Oliver Boumal are among the players with an uncertain future.
Football manager Deans had been heavily involved in player retention and recruitment until his resignation last week.
"The retention committee is continuing to function, only without Craig," Mattiske said. "It hasn't slowed down any of our activity in terms of retention of players or looking into the market.
"While we are focusing on finishing the season strongly - that is really important - we are also reviewing the squad. The retention and recruitment process is running parallel."
The Jets have made "adjustments to cover Craig's duties" but a like-for-like replacement appears unlikely.
"We are also assessing the organisational structure of the football department for the medium-to-longer term," Mattiske said.
Circling in the background is a likely change in ownership.
The Jets have been bankrolled by the owners of four rival clubs for the past two seasons after chinese businessman Martin Lee had his A-League licence revoked.
An American consortium, led by Brett Johnson and Jordan Gardner, have been in discussions to buy the club for almost six months.
Johnson is a part-owner of English League One club Ipswich Town and is co-chair of USL club Phoenix Rising. Gardner is a shareholder of former Premier League side Swansea City and Danish club Helsingor.
The Newcastle Herald understands that those talks remain positive and are closing in on a sale but there are a series of procedures and checks that any new owner must undergo.
The deal may not be finalised until after the season is completed.
As well as Deans, youth team coach Daniel McBreen also parted ways with the club last week.
A-League assistant Riccardo Marchioli has taken the reins for the remainder of the youth team's NSW NPL3 campaign.
"Rick Marccioali has come across from the first team to take leadership of the youth team," Mattiske said. "It will be good for that team to have someone from the first team set up directly involved.
"Again there is a review of the structure moving forward. There are adjustments we need to make in the academy area. That started to happen last week."
Former Jets championship-winning coach and current Western Sydney Wanderers assistant Gary van Egmond has been linked to possible return to the club in a technical role.
Van Egmond brought Papas to the Jets 10 years ago and they have a close relationship extending back to their time together coaching at the Australian Institute of Sport.
