Newcastle at risk of losing Paul Catterson to the Premier League
It's not just Newcastle United's star players who are at risk of being poached. The club's head of medicine is now being tapped by the Premier League.
Dr Paul Catterson is the Premier League's longest-serving head of medicine. He has been at Newcastle since 2009 and has built up a solid reputation in the game as one of the best.
Catterson is also an instructor for the FA’s Advanced Trauma Medical Management in Football and has been for more than a decade, so he's got plenty of strings to his bow.
The Premier League's current Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Prof. Mark Gillett, is set to step away from the role, and The Athletic has reported that Paul Catterson is the top candidate to replace him.
Dr Catterson is more than just the magic sponge guy
It was Catterson who urged Eddie Howe to seek hospital treatment when he was diagnosed with pneumonia in 2025, which saw the Toon boss sidelined for three games. Catterson spotted the signs and told the gaffer to seek immediate medical attention.
He also developed an app during the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed players to report symptoms in a bid to prevent transmission.
Clearly, Catterson is much more than the man who stitches up Fabian Schar's head on a bi-weekly basis and were he to leave, he would be a huge loss to the club.
Heading up the Premier League's medical team could be too big an opportunity for Cattison to turn down, so Ross Wilson and performance director James Bunce will have a big task on their hands finding a replacement to fill his shoes should he leave.
Scott Mitchell's arrival has been confirmed
The Athletic's report also confirms the arrival of Scott Mitchell from Oxford United, which was reported a couple of days ago by Football League World.
They also provide a bit more detail, saying that Mitchell will not be involved in first-team recruitment and will instead be part of the head of youth recruitment, Paul Midgley's, scouting team.
Hopefully, if Catterson does take up the role with the Premier League, the club has ample time to find a replacement before he leaves. It just feels like one step forward, one step back, doesn't it? When can we just start moving forward!?
