Newcastle's long-serving head of medical approached over Premier League role

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsBayern Munich vs. PSGArsenal's Night of Mad UCL BeautyThe Making of Olise, Football GeniusPSG's Artistic CollaborationNewcastle’s long-serving head of medical approached over Premier League roleCatterson has been at Newcastle since 2009. Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images Share articleNewcastle United’s head of medical Dr. Paul Catterson is wanted by the Premier League for their chief medical officer (CMO) role. Prof. Mark Gillett, who has held that position with the Premier League since 2018-19, is leaving and the Premier League have identified Catterson as their preferred candidate. He has been sounded out and Newcastle are aware of the approach, with some at the club anticipating a departure for the longest-serving head of medicine at a Premier League outfit. Catterson has been Newcastle’s club doctor since 2009 and is highly respected, both inside the club and throughout sport. He has been an instructor for the FA’s Advanced Trauma Medical Management in Football for more than a decade, too. In April 2025, it was Catterson who urged Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s head coach, to go into hospital after analysing blood tests which hinted at the severity of his condition. Howe was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia and missed three matches. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Catterson also helped develop an app which allowed Newcastle players to register symptoms in an attempt to curb transmission. At Newcastle, Catterson reports in to James Bunce, the performance director who joined in 2024. Bunce and Ross Wilson, the sporting director, would be tasked with finding a successor to Catterson, should he indeed leave for the Premier League. The Premier League declined to comment when approached by The Athletic. Elsewhere, Newcastle are bringing in Scott Mitchell from Championship side Oxford United to join their academy recruitment staff. Mitchell has been Oxford’s head of recruitment since November 2024 and, as an academy scout, will report in to Paul Midgley, Newcastle’s head of youth recruitment, on Tyneside. Wilson has been keen to grow Newcastle’s academy scouting department and to further bolster the club’s recruitment of youth talent since his appointment in October. Mitchell, formerly of Wycombe Wanderers and Ipswich Town, is the latest hire to add to that team, with Wilson keen for Newcastle to identify and then secure the best young players across Britain and beyond. Mitchell will not be involved in first-team recruitment, which is overseen by Eddie Howe, the head coach, Andy Howe, the senior football executive, Steve Nickson, the head of recruitment, and Wilson. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms