Newcastle have poached a member of Arsenal's recruitment team ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a report from Training Ground Guru. The report states that the Magpies have landed scout Edward Black to become the club's new lead academy scout.
Black has been with the Gunners for 11 months, having joined from Norwich City last summer to become the Northern England and Scotland emerging talent scout. The move to Newcastle means that Edu and his recruitment team will need to find a new replacement.
It comes as Newcastle begin to transition their own setup behind the scenes under their new ownership of the PIF (Saudi Public Investment Fund). The side have already shown progress on the pitch to compete with the top sides such as Arsenal in the league, sitting third.
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However, sustained growth comes from consistently competing both on and off the field, something the north London outfit have worked on in recent years. Newcastle hired Dan Ashworth as technical director after impressing with Brighton, outlining the first step in refreshing their departments.
Several scouts have been hired since, which seems set to be increasing with the addition of Black to the team. The report also adds that he is a fan of Newcastle and lives in the city, making it a potentially tough opportunity to turn down, with Arsenal needing to look elsewhere for a new addition.
That comes hand in hand with recent changes to the boardroom too, with Edu recently being announced as the club's first ever sporting director, while Stan Kroenke announced that his son, Josh, had become co-chair at the same time, showing further shuffles behind the scenes to keep the club improving.
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