It was not so long ago that Lee Charnley, Steve Nickson and Steve Bruce were sitting around the table preparing for what proved to be the final window of the Ashley era. A lot has changed at Newcastle United since then.
However, while several influential figures have moved on, or been moved on, following the club's takeover last October, tellingly, Nickson has survived. Newcastle's head of recruitment has impressed the club's new owners in recent months with his knowledge, attention to detail and work ethic, and Amanda Staveley has even said that 'we really rate him'.
Nickson, after all, played an influential role alongside Eddie Howe, Jason Tindall and the club's hierarchy in the build-up to January and during the mid-season window itself. Just as Howe identified targets, Nickson and his recruitment team also provided names and data, which the Newcastle head coach then sifted through to decide who was worth pursuing.
