Newcastle United set to announce new coaching appointment as compensation deal agreed

After a long search for a second string boss Newcastle have got their man in Diarmuid O'Carroll.

Newcastle United look set to appoint a new reserve team boss after agreeing a compensation deal with Diarmuid O'Carroll..

O'Carroll is believed to have agreed the move from Scottish Premiership outfit St Mirren and will look after the Magpies' Under-21s in Premier League 2. Newcastle have been searching for a replacement for Ben Dawson since July with Neil Winskill and Jack Ross standing in on caretaker duty.

Newcastle's second string have made a mixed start to the 2024/25 campaign and lost 1-0 to West Ham on Friday night at Whitley Park. The 37-year-old has been assisting Stephen Robinson in Scotland and his exit is deemed as a major blow for the Buddies.

The former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has previously coached Crusaders Strikers, Glentoran Women and Motherwell Under-18s. After coming through the youth ranks at Celtic he went on to feature for Morecambe, Ross County and Airdrie.

O'Carroll joined St Mirren as Stephen Robinson's assistant manager in February 2022. In 2023, he was named as part of Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland backroom team for their UEFA Euro 2024 qualification campaign as senior coach.

Robinson had said yesterday: “We’ll make an official announcement over the weekend or Monday. I don’t want to jump the gun because I’m not 100 per cent sure. He is speaking to someone else [about] an Under-21 position.

“We’ve shown that we’ve got that staff in place to step up if that should happen. But I think it’s a matter that we deal with on Monday morning when we get the full facts.”