Newcastle have acquired a new sporting director – and he’s the man who took Elliott Anderson from St James’s Park to Nottingham Forest, and the Magpies were keen to bring him back
Newcastle have appointed Ross Wilson as the club’s new sporting director following the departure of Paul Mitchell. Wilson joins from Nottingham Forest. One of his biggest success stories was signing Elliott Anderson from the Magpies.
Mr Wilson will arrive at St James’ Park and oversee sporting strategy, development and recruitment. Newcastle had a tumultuous summer, with Alexander Isak leaving the club for a British-record transfer fee, but they signed Nick Waltemaid and Yoan Wissa towards the end of the season.
His reputation grew at Nottingham, where he signed Anthony Elanga before selling him to Newcastle for a huge profit. He also lured Anderson to the City Ground after coming through the ranks with the Magpies.
Anderson left his boyhood club over a year ago in a £35m deal forced by the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR). He has gone on to become a huge success and is now on the radar of England, with many top clubs keeping an eye on his exploits.
Wilson knew he had acquired a future star when he signed Anderson, saying at the time: “We are all delighted to welcome Elliott to Nottingham Forest and are delighted that he has chosen to continue developing his talents with us in the Premier League.”
read more: Scotland manager Steve Clarke hits record low, tells dressing room: ‘Please know how I feel’read more: Barcelona make shocking contract decision that could affect Marcus Rashford’s departure from Manchester
“We are confident that he will thrive in a Forest shirt, just as so many other players of his age have done. As soon as the opportunity presented itself for him to potentially join, we were all excited to make it happen.”
His mission at Newcastle could be to bring Anderson back to the club. Despite paying a huge transfer fee, the midfielder’s ambitions are likely to surpass Forest sooner rather than later. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has admitted he is still not satisfied with the 22-year-old’s release and would welcome him back with open arms if a deal was possible.
“I don’t know (if the transfer will happen), but from my point of view, I definitely want it to happen,” he said. “It’s a huge shame for the academy players who have given so much and the club so much to not be used here. We had no choice but to sell them, but that’s not what we wanted. It didn’t suit me then and it doesn’t suit me now.”
Prior to his job at Nottingham, Ross was Sporting Director at Rangers, helping them win their first league title in 10 years and reach the UEFA Europa League final.
Upon his appointment, the new club chairman claimed he understood “the ambition and desire of our owners to continue to develop and build a stronger Newcastle”.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£43
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
