Newcastle hire cult hero to replace Ameobi – with four youngsters set for loans

Newcastle United have appointed former defender Paul Dummett to be part of their revamped loans department, which has been earmarked for a key role in the Newcastle 2.0 project. The i Paper revealed earlier this year that Shola Ameobi had moved from his job as loans co-ordinator to a new role as head of corporate affairs ahead of a review of the department. That is now complete, and the loans department has been renamed as “talent management” with the highly-regarded Peter Ramage, who was assistant loans co-ordinator, promoted to become “talent management lead”. Ramage will be assisted by Dummett, who retired from professional football in December and is stepping into his first executive role. Their remit will be two-fold: to help academy players bridge the gap to the first-team, and also to support players who are out on loan. They will report to Jack Ross, head of football strategy at Newcastle, and sporting director Ross Wilson, who will primarily handle outgoing loan moves. Insiders are enthusiastic about Dummett’s appointment, feeling he is a perfect fit for the role because of his own experience of going out on loan and then breaking into the first-team. Paul Dummett is now part of Newcastle’s revamped loans department (Photo: Getty) He was a regular presence during the early stages of Newcastle’s pre-season, where a slew of the club’s academy players were utilised in friendlies. Dummett, who has remained close to the club since leaving in 2024 after an association that spanned 23 years, was seen giving advice to some of them before the game against Gateshead last month. Revamp aims to create conveyor belt of talent Newcastle have also injected fresh funds into the department, appointing a new physio to work specifically in the “talent management” department along with a dedicated psychologist and analysts. Their role will be to work with and support the young players who have been sent out on loan to gain first-team experience. While supporters are naturally concerned with first-team recruitment – and Newcastle are set for a busy end to the transfer window with three new additions being sought before 1 September and Nico Gonzalez heading for a medical on Tyneside after a £47m deal was agreed with Manchester City – building blocks are being put in place to support the club’s pivot towards younger talent. As well as their biggest ever recruitment budget, the academy has looked overseas to bring in new players as they look to raise levels across the board. Creating a conveyor belt of talent who can support the first-team squad and raise funds through sales is part of Newcastle’s plan to be able to challenge while complying with suffocating Uefa financial restrictions in the future. The £30m sale of Yankuba Minteh in 2024 – before he had played a game for Newcastle but after a successful loan at Feyenoord – is evidence of how decent youth recruitment can pay dividends. But there’s an acceptance at St James’ Park that they need to establish a better pathway to first-team opportunities. New boss Matthias Jaissle is said to be enthusiastic about giving opportunities to the club’s younger players and has spoken in glowing terms about Mason Miley – who grabbed his chance in pre-season. Four players set to leave on loan Striker Sean Neave is also available on loan (Photo: Getty) It is likely that Newcastle will sanction several loans for their young players in the next week, with right-back Leo Shahar and striker Sean Neave both set to be made available and attracting interest from League One and the Championship. They have already loaned Alex Murphy to German second-tier side Kaiserslautern and Antonio Cordero to Cadiz in the Spanish second division. Anthony Munda has joined League Two club Swindon – and others will join them on loan. Park Seung-soo and Miodrag Pivas, two players signed in the last 12 months, also need first-team minutes and are likely to be allowed out on loan. Managing those temporary moves will fall to the new talent management team – which Dummett is part of. Read more Transfer latest: Why Newcastle are stalling on Bruno’s replacement Special report: Newcastle plot ‘Project £2bn’ with new stadium plan for 2030 In the long-term, Newcastle’s owners, PIF, still retain ambitions of establishing a multi-club network but those plans have been shelved while the club concentrate on big projects like building a new training ground and making a firm decision on what comes next with the club’s stadium. A new dedicated academy building is part of the £190m plans for a new training base at Woolsington Hall, which were announced last week. It will be located at the opposite end of the 260-acre site which will be renovated after the club completed the purchase of land last week.