EXCLUSIVE Newcastle hold talks with former Real Madrid chief in their hunt for a new CEO - after Darren Eales was forced to step down on health grounds
Newcastle have spoken to former Real Madrid executive David Hopkinson as they close in on the appointment of a new CEO.
Mail Sport can reveal that the 54-year-old Canadian is in the frame to replace the outgoing Darren Eales, who is stepping down on health grounds.
PIF governor and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is set to make the final decision, with sources recognising the need for an imminent announcement.
The club are currently operating with both an outgoing chief executive and sporting director, following news last week of Paul Mitchell's impending exit after less than a year at St James' Park. This uncertainty at senior level is seen by some as far from ideal entering a pivotal summer.
Eddie Howe and his players have secured Champions League football ahead of next season and the head coach has reiterated internally the need for speed when it comes to transfers. It now seems likely that Howe and head of recruitment Steve Nickson will oversee the bulk of the dealings.
But we understand that Hopkinson, who was most recently the president and chief operating officer of Madison Square Garden Sports Corporation, is the leading candidate for the role soon to be vacated by Eales, who announced in September he would be leaving following the diagnosis of a chronic form of blood cancer.
He has been interviewed by PIF and is thought to be the preferred choice, should he agree terms.
Hopkinson has previously worked as Real Madrid's global head of partnerships and, for 23 years, was chief commercial officer for the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Partnership, which included MLS franchise Toronto FC. He is currently serving as a board member for Canada Basketball.
Interestingly, he has vast experience in venue management, with Newcastle set to update fans on their plans for the club's future home stadium. Mail Sport revealed in March that the intention is to move to a new home on Leazes Park.
Hopkinson says of his Madison Square Garden role that he, 'guided the strategic vision and operations of premier global sports franchises including the New York Knicks and New York Rangers'.
The Toronto native added: 'Throughout my 25+ year career, I've had the privilege of stewarding some of the world's most iconic sports and entertainment brands through periods of significant growth and evolution. At MSG Sports, I directed comprehensive business strategy across legendary venues including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the revolutionary Sphere in Las Vegas.
'Previously at Real Madrid, I led global partnerships for the world's most valuable football club, engaging with a 1B+ global fanbase. At MLSE, I spearheaded transformative initiatives including the landmark Scotiabank Arena naming rights agreement ($800M+ CDN), while overseeing multiple professional sports franchises.'
Meanwhile, Newcastle are using recruitment firm Nolan Partners to search for a new sporting director. They were previously hired before the appointment of Dan Ashworth in 2022.
Newcastle declined to comment on Hopkinson and the chief executive role.
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Telegraph
an hour ago
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NHS sends patients abroad after waiting lists hit record high
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On Friday night, he pledged his plan would 'catapult the NHS into the 21st century and get people seen on time in a modern health service on British shores'. Experts said the rising cases were a 'terrible indictment' of the state of the NHS, with Poland, Germany, Italy and Belgium among the main beneficiaries. Under a little-known post-Brexit healthcare agreement, the NHS will pay another European country to treat UK patients where there is 'undue delay' to them accessing equivalent treatment on the NHS within a 'medically acceptable timeframe'. Patients desperate to have gynaecology surgery and hip replacements were the most likely to get NHS approval to travel overseas for their treatment. Those waiting for cancer treatment, and surgery to repair hernias, remove gallbladders and treat cataracts also fled Britain to get help more quickly, the investigation reveals. The treatment or surgery must be provided by a state healthcare system, not a private clinic, and patients must fund their own travel and accommodation costs. There has been a rapid rise in the number of UK patients using the scheme, as the NHS battles to reduce waiting lists, which peaked in 2023. In the last three years, the NHS has spent £4.32 million sending 352 patients overseas for treatment, according to data from the NHS Business Services Authority, which handles the payments. The number of overseas treatments paid for by the NHS jumped from 99 in 2022-23 to 112 in 2023-24 and rose again to 141 in 2024-25, according to figures obtained by The Telegraph under Freedom of Information laws. Mr Streeting said: 'This Government inherited a broken NHS, with patients left waiting far too long for treatment, forcing many to go private or even seeking healthcare abroad. 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Prof Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the fact patients were travelling long distances for treatment was 'clear evidence that they can't access the care they need, when they need it'. She added the Government must tackle the 'critical issue' of long waits for gynaecology treatment in its upcoming NHS 10-year health plan. 'There are more than three quarters of a million women in the UK waiting for hospital gynaecology care, with serious conditions that have a devastating impact on almost every aspect of their lives,' said Prof Thakar.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
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Jasprit Bumrah has arrived. — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 21, 2025 For Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, the challenge in the rest of Bumrah's spell was to do what Crawley had failed to do, and survive. This almost proved too much for Duckett from his first ball against Bumrah, which he poked just short of gully. Three balls later, Bumrah changed his line of attack and unfurled a yorker which struck Duckett's boot. But India's review showed that the ball hit Duckett fractionally outside the line of leg stump. When Duckett is batting with either Crawley or Pope, England have a left and right-handed pair against the new ball, forcing bowlers to adjust their lines. Yet this is rather less advantageous against Bumrah. Indeed, one of the many wonders of Bumrah is his equal potency bowling to left and right-handers alike: absurdly, he averages under 20 against both. Whoever faced Bumrah bowled in his opening spell at Leeds, the sense of foreboding remained. 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A brutal bouncer to end the day, which Brook narrowly ducked inside the line of, emphasised the challenge that awaits England on day three and beyond. England's fear for the rest of the series will be that Bumrah will be just as good but less unlucky. Their only comfort will be that, unlike Australia last winter, they will not have to face Bumrah in all five Tests.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Emma Raducanu spotted watching US Open doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz at Queens after withdrawing from Wimbledon practice event with back pain
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