Newcastle United are reportedly set to raid rivals Sunderland for U23s boss Elliott Dickman, which has caused a stir among fans of the League One club. 

Dickman has spent 26 years at the Black Cats as both a youth player and a youth coach but it appears he has been tempted to leave them in favour of a move to their North East rivals weeks after the completion of a big-money takeover.

Newcastle are thought to now have the richest owners in English football, with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund now their main backers, though there has been significant controversy given the human rights abuses alleged against the Saudi regime.

According to Craig Hope from the Daily Mail, Dickman is set to be one of the first arrivals of the club's new era and will be confirmed by the Tyneside outfit this week.

The 43-year-old has been in charge of Sunderland's U23s since January 2017 – a period in which a number of youth players have made the transition to the first team.

Among those is Dan Neil, who has turned heads with his performances for Lee Johnson's side this season.

Losing the youth coach to their rivals has caused a stir among fans of the Wearside club, with many taking to Twitter to voice their thoughts...