The Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United was completed on Thursday, and the rumours are circling about who will be their first managerial appointment.
Steve Bruce is the current incumbent, but it only seems to be a matter of 'when' and not 'if' he is replaced.
Antonio Conte has been one of the names linked to the job, and the Chronicle reports that the Italian is open to a Premier League return.
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It is believed that the former Chelsea boss will want a big say on the recruitment side of things if he takes the job, after a bitter experience at Inter Milan, where he left following a dispute regarding the sales of Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku to Paris Saint Germain and Chelsea respectively.
With Conte agreeing not to take another job in Italy in 2022 upon his departure from the San Siro, it has further increased his chances of taking the job on Tyneside.
One of the big obstacles to appointing Conte is the fact he likes to take the job at the start of a new season, whereas the Magpies are reportedly eyeing up a mid-season appointment to replace Bruce in January.
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A host of names have been linked to the role, and among these include: Eddie Howe, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Graham Potter.
A decision on Bruce's future could be made in the next week, and it is uncertain whether the former Birmingham, Wigan and Sunderland boss will still be in charge next Saturday for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur to St James' Park. If he does keep his job, then it will be his 1,000th game as a manager.
If the report published by The Telegraph is anything to go by, then Bruce will stay on 999 games, with the paper claiming that Bruce could receive an £8million pay-off.
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The Magpies will hope any new appointments can arrest what has been a poor start to the current season, after failing to win any of their first seven games - most recently succumbing to a 2-1 defeat away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After next Saturday's match against Spurs, Newcastle will travel to Crystal Palace on 23rd October, before hosting Chelsea a week later to conclude the month.
Topics: Steve Bruce, Football, Premier League, Newcastle United, Antonio Conte
