- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 406,329
- Reaction score
- 43
You must be registered for see images attach
Collette Roche, the Manchester United chief operating officer, has emerged as one of the candidates for the chief executive role at Newcastle United, Telegraph Sport understands.
Newcastle are searching for a new chief executive to lead the club after it emerged last September that Darren Eales would be stepping down after being diagnosed with blood cancer. Eales is continuing in his post until a successor is found.
Vinai Venkatesham, the ormer Arsenal chief executive, has been linked with the position, which is believed to have attracted considerable interest.
Newcastle are conducting a thorough search and Eales, who worked previously at Tottenham and Atlanta United, and has a long notice period, has spoken about how he has not wanted to leave the club “in the lurch”.
Roche is thought to have been among several names linked with the chief executive role at Everton before the appointment in March of Angus Kinnear, who is officially due to start in June after eight years at Leeds United.
Roche’s role at Old Trafford has been expanded since Ineos acquired a minority stake in the club last year. She has assumed a much more hands-on role in football operations since the exit of Dan Ashworth as sporting director in December and has also been a key figure in the delivery of a £50 million revamp of United’s Carrington training base.
This has been on top of the leading role she has been playing in United’s new £2 billion stadium project and chairmanship of the board of the Manchester United Foundation, the club’s charitable arm.
Manchester United declined to comment when asked about Roche being in the running for the Newcastle role. Roche, who joined United in 2018 from Manchester Airport, where she had been managing director, is said to remain fully engaged in United’s operations and has integrated well into the new leadership group.
There is no suggestion of her being pushed out, even if she is now the sole survivor from the executive leadership team that existed prior to the strategic review that ultimately led to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos taking a 28.94 per cent stake in the club.
In March, it emerged that United’s people and transformation director Annie Hale, commercial director Florence Lafaye and chief commercial development officer James Holroyd were all to leave the club in the latest shake-up of senior management.
Those departures followed the exits in the previous 15 months of numerous senior figures including Richard Arnold as the club’s chief executive and football director John Murtough.
Ashworth was brought in as Murtough’s replacement but lasted just five months as sporting director.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Continue reading...
