It has now been reported that the Newcastle United head of recruitment, Steve Nickson, is set to leave the club.
This story broken by the very reliable David Ornstein of The Athletic.
The man from The Athletic reports that: ‘ Steve Nickson has informed Newcastle of his intention to depart and, while the exact timings of his St James’ Park exit remain unclear, all parties are comfortable with the situation.’
Steve Nickson has been at St James’ Park for 15 years and joined United from Blackburn Rovers.
David Ornstein going on to say: ‘Steve Nickson has been Newcastle’s head of recruitment since 2017, where he has been responsible for leading the club’s scouting operation and he previously worked as head of youth recruitment…He led the signings of Sven Botman and Joelinton, and has driven the purchase of young prospects, including Antonio Cordero and Vakhtang Salia.’
Apparently Steve Nickson has a job lined up at West Ham United, if widespread media reports are to be believed.
Good luck to him if it means more responsibility/power and more money. West Ham of course are going through some seismic changes of their own.
In The Athletic breaking news piece, it also included Chris Waugh (who covers Newcastle United for The Athletic) giving his thoughts on what potential impact it will have on NUFC.
Chris Waugh declaring: ‘Steve Nickson is a seasoned and highly respected operator and his ability to spot young talent is well regarded, so this will come as a blow to Newcastle. If Nickson is to serve a period of notice, however, that will offer Newcastle the opportunity to succession plan. What’s more, the summer strategy is already in place, with targets identified, so the short-term effect should be minimal.’
With Ross Wilson coming in as Sporting Director, I think it was inevitable we were going to see some changes on the recruitment side of things. No doubt Steve Nickson is ambitious, the same as everybody else, so if he gets offered a more senior role at another club (and almost certainly more money) then no surprise if he might be interested.
A case as well I think of a situation where something can be at the same time a negative for Newcastle United BUT not the end of the world either. As in, I am sure the club would rather Steve Nickson had kept on working in his role at Newcastle United, but it is also not a change that will have grave consequences for NUFC.
If indeed he is moving on to West Ham (or another club), good luck to Steve Nickson.