Newcastle United's owners have a 'long-term plan' but Nick Hammond has revealed that the hierarchy turned to him because they needed someone who had experience in 'navigating through the complexities' of the January transfer window.
Hammond provided a consultancy service in the run-up to an intense mid-season trading period after being sounded out by the hierarchy, who were keen to tap into the former technical director's experience ahead of their first window in charge. Newcastle, after all, did not have a sporting director at the time - Dan Ashworth remains on gardening leave at Brighton - and Hammond previously provided a consultancy service at Celtic during the summer of 2019.
Among those who backed 'a very good move by the club' at the time was Alan Pardew. Pardew worked with Hammond at West Brom and Reading, and the former Newcastle boss previously told ChronicleLive that the 54-year-old was a 'true, experienced and honest operator'.
