Lucrative deals and human touch - inside Darren Eales' transformational Newcastle United role

Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales is set to step down from his position at St James' Park after revealing he has been diagnosed with chronic blood cancer. In an emotional interview on the club's official website, Eales spoke in glowing terms about the club he will soon depart, admitting it has been a 'privilege' to work for Newcastle since August 2022.

"It has become apparent to me that now is the right time to make this decision so that I can prioritise my health and my family," Eales confirmed. "In the short term, it will be business as usual in terms of running the club's day-to-day operations, and I will give my full support to a transitionary period that will enable the board to carefully assess and appoint my successor."

Eales will leave St James' Park on the back of a tumultuous summer after raging uncertainty over the relationship of manager Eddie Howe and sporting director Paul Mitchell. However, you suspect when the dust settles further down the line, history will look back fondly on the former Atlanta United chief, who has helped Newcastle rapidly catch up to their Premier League rivals in the post-takeover era.

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Eales has played a crucial role in the transformation behind the scenes at Newcastle in recent years, overseeing a wealth of sponsorship agreements and big-name appointments that now mean the north east outfit are European contenders who are slowly beginning to match their rivals off the pitch, as well as on it.

The new Adidas partnership remains the most lucrative deal struck since the 2021 takeover - and the most exciting - and has provided a huge revenue boost to the club's balance sheet. Eales was part of a club delegation that visited the brand's global headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany to complete the deal, as captured in the Amazon Prime documentary filmed in recent years.

Another feature of the fly-on-the-wall production by Amazon showed Eales round the negotiating table for some key on-field signings, notably Anthony Gordon. After bringing a wealth of commercial contacts over from the United States, the Newcastle CEO has also proved a handy asset when it came to attracting playing staff too.

The 52-year-old was famously well known - and well liked - by supporters in Atlanta as he helped revolutionise the MLS side. As well as striking key deals in the boardroom at the Mercedes-Benz stadium, Eales regularly took time to attend regular fan events to enjoy a pint or two with American fans. The same can be said of his time at Newcastle, with the CEO recently taking to the stage at the club's new fan zone to belt out a chant or two before home matches.

Just weeks before his pre-match singalong, Eales made a surprise appearance at the launch of Newcastle's new Adidas home kit, taking selfies and speaking to fans who had queued for hours to be first in line for the new merchandise. There was always a feeling, after years of limited communication from inside Newcastle, that Eales deserved praise for regularly made himself available to supporters to discuss the goings on on Tyneside.

There was also a clear understanding of what Newcastle fans wanted to hear. Case and point being the infamous 'I've never seen a Mackem in Milan' jibe after the Magpies were drawn in the Champions League group of death against Italian side AC Milan.

Eales' exit announcement was a dignified one and while he may be saying goodbye to the football club, his young family are settled in the north east of England and have no plans to leave any time soon.

"I want to extend my sincere thanks to the club's supporters, ownership, players and staff," he said. "I'm proud of what we have collectively achieved and I'm excited to see what's ahead for everyone as the club builds towards a future of sustained success."

In a touching gesture, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola sent his best wishes to Eales during his pre-match press conference on Friday: "We wish him, on behalf of Man City and all of us here, the best on his recovery. I'm pretty sure he'll have the best doctors to take care of him and recover him with his family. Hopefully he can go (pull) through because this is the most important thing."