New York Red Bulls' head of sport Kevin Thelwell has emerged as a surprise candidate for the role of sporting director at Newcastle United.
The North East club's new owners are sifting through a number of high profile names including Marc Overmars of Ajax, Paul Mitchell at Monaco, Manchester City's Jason Wilcox and Luis Campos as they look for the right man to guide them through a huge stage of transition.
The 47-year old Thelwell has a high level of experience with foreign ownership groups having had success at Wolves in the Premier League and now with the Red Bull Group.