Newcastle United are set to poach academy figure Mark Atkinson from local rivals Sunderland this summer, according to journalist Craig Hope.
The Daily Mail’s north east football correspondent revealed the news on his personal Twitter account on Monday, stating that the Black Cats’ head of coaching will be joining the Magpies.
Hope went on to say that Atkinson is very highly thought of within the game and at the Stadium of Light by parents and staff alike. However, he will now seemingly be plying his trade on the opposite side of the Tyne-Wear divide.
Understand SAFC will lose head of coaching Mark Atkinson from their academy this summer. He is joining NUFC. Very well thought of within the game & by parents/staff at Sunderland.
— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) June 3, 2019
OPINION
This is yet another indication that the balance of power in the north east, as has been the case for a long time now, lies in favour of Newcastle. The Sunderland supporters may not like it, but the Magpies are simply the bigger club and so they will always be able to pull off deals like this at will. We’ve seen it before with players, such as Jack Colback, and now we’ve got it with a respected head of coaching in Atkinson. For Rafael Benitez’s side, this is a great boon. Atkinson, by all accounts, will be arriving with a big reputation and having done a solid job on Wearside. We’ve seen a number of local lads make the breakthrough for Sunderland in recent years, and if Atkinson can replicate that success on Tyneside then everyone involved will be extremely happy. This is a step up for him career-wise, too, so he’ll be over the moon with this move.
