The Athletic's George Caulkin has dropped a major update on Newcastle United's search for a sporting director.

What's the story?

In a Q&A for The Athletic, Caulkin said: "Newcastle now move on to appointing a sporting director and chief executive. Unlike the search for Bruce’s successor, which was board-led, outside agencies have been conducting interviews, but we are now approaching decision time.

"A fortnight ago, Chris and I wrote a piece about the first 100 days post-takeover, in which we were told by a (very) senior source that a sporting director was likely to be appointed 'within the next month'. The Athletic has also reported that Dan Ashworth, Brighton’s highly regarded technical director, is among those interviewed for the role.

"Then comes the CEO, which is when 'everything accelerates', we were told. 'They’ll make a massive difference — they’ll set the tone for everything. That’s when the whole place goes up."

Newcastle fans will be buzzing

After a largely successful January transfer window that saw a number of signings come through the door, it's no surprise the Magpies' attentions have firmly towards trying to get the recruitment side of things even more streamlined and running smoothly.

The fact the club navigated last month so well without a sporting director speaks volumes to the excellent work that Amanda Staveley and co did behind the scenes in ensuring the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood among others could come in through the door.

Providing the Magpies survive Premier League relegation this season, the summer transfer window promises to be an even bigger one in the history of the football club, with a real chance to make that real first big step to competing for bigger and better things.

Having a sporting director and chief executive in place by then will go a long way to ensuring that the Tyneside club can navigate the transfer market far more easily.

It's exactly why Caulkin's latest update on the situation is sure to have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must never play this man again...