Newcastle United are reportedly planning a double raid on Chelsea to bring academy chiefs Neil Bath and Jim Fraser to St James' Park. The Magpies, under their Saudi-backed ownership, are looking to overhaul their youth system and have identified the Chelsea pair as ideal candidates to lead the revamp.
Bath, Chelsea's head of youth development, has overseen an academy renowned for producing talents such as Andreas Christensen, Mason Mount, and Reece James. His assistant, Fraser, plays a key role in recruitment. Newcastle aim to replicate Chelsea's success in developing and selling players for profit.
The move comes as Chelsea face uncertainty under UK Government sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich, preventing the club from offering new contracts. Newcastle hope to exploit this, though Bath and Fraser's contracts are likely to include long notice periods, potentially delaying their arrival as happened with Dan Ashworth.
Newcastle are willing to invest heavily to secure the duo, having already spent £90 million on players in January and appointed Ashworth as sporting director. The club's owners are focused on building for the future by strengthening the academy, aiming to produce top-quality homegrown talent for the first team.
