Matt Ritchie lands major role at Bournemouth after announcing retirement

During that miserable Mike Ashley era, there were few better sights than Matt Ritchie leathering the corner flag after scoring for Newcastle United.

The winger played a vital role on Tyneside during his eight-year stay, arriving under Rafa Benitez, helping us earn promotion and helping stabilise the club following our return to the Premier League.

Eddie Howe always spoke highly of Ritchie's leadership and influence behind the scenes, hailing the Scottish international in 2024 as he left for Portsmouth.

The 36-year-old spent last season at Reading and still has one year left on his contract, but has announced his retirement from the game today after over 600 career appearances and 100-plus goals.

Ritchie set for Bournemouth role

Matt Ritchie has hung up his boots, swapping his playing days for a Technical Director role at former club Bournemouth.

The former Newcastle man is heading to his former club to replace Simon Francis, who confirmed his plan to leave the Cherries in May.

The Bournemouth Echo reports that Ritchie has been working with the club's academy and building a relationship with current Sporting Director Tiago Pinto.

It's thought his history with the club is a big factor behind the appointment, seeing him join the South Coast side following their qualification for the Europa League.

Ritchie a huge Howe fan

Having played under Howe at Bournemouth and Newcastle, few know our current boss as well at Matt Ritchie.

Speaking on Sky Sports last April, Ritchie spoke so highly of Howe's "relentless" approach to management and the positive environment he helps create.

“The one word I can use to describe him is relentless.”

“He’s a special man off the pitch, but you step into a football environment or training pitch, he wants individuals to grow.”

“He creates an environment where you can be open, you can challenge yourself, if he wants you to work on your weaknesses.”

We would say happy retirement, but he's not exactly packing it in after swapping a squad role with Reading for a vital off-field job with high-flying Bournemouth.