Newcastle United managing director Lee Charnley has said the club has received around 80 applications as they seek to identify a replacement for Alan Pardew.
Charnley told the Evening Chronicle that the club will try to establish the "really, really credible individuals" this week and then decide whether to make an appointment now or in the end of the season, but he insisted any delay is "absolutely not" designed as a ploy to avoid investing in the squad in January.
Former Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster is set to hold talks with the club on Thursday, according to talkSPORT, and Charnley suggested he may fit the profile they are seeking.
Asked about the club's intention to appoint a "head coach," he said: "Our overall strategy and structure won't change -- we're looking for someone who will work within our parameters and will buy into and work with us in terms of what we do and how we operate.
"The traditional English manager who would want full control is not what I'm looking for -- they don't fit within our structure or strategy."
However, Schuster may not fit with the club's ambition to appoint a coach renowned for bringing through youth talent.
Charnley added: "First and foremost, they have to be a good coach and with a track record of developing players and giving young players a chance is important.
"For me, style of play is important. How they conduct themselves is also important as the head coach will play a key part in how the club is perceived through his conduct on and off the field."
John Carver has taken temporary charge of Newcastle since Pardew left to take charge of Crystal Palace at the start of the month and, although he has repeatedly said he would like the job on a permanent basis, Charnley said there had been no shortage of applicants for the position.
"We've had about 80 applications of people interested in the role," he said. "That's people within football.
"Clearly a number of those can be easily discounted but what has been left is a good number of individuals who have different qualities, experience and strengths -- some of those are willing and available to come now, others not until the summer."
On when the club would make a decision, he said: "I hope that by the end of this week I will have a better indication of where we sit.
"I'll know the really, really credible individuals who would be of real interest to us and, from there, whether a decision can be made now or whether that decision can wait until the summer.
"There's a wide range of options. There are some people who genuinely can't move now, whether that be for personal reasons, contractual or a whole host -- they can't come now.
"There are some that can, whether they are tied to other clubs but have a compensation element involved or are out-of-work."
He dismissed suggestions that the decision to appoint someone in the summer would make it easier for the club to avoid strengthening in the winter, saying: "In all honesty, the January window is not one we ever envisaged being particularly active in."
Brilliant tactics from Newcastle board to delay appointing their new manager so they don't have to buy any players in the transfer window.
- Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) January 13, 2015
He also said it was possible players could leave this month, although indicated that it was unlikely to be one of the club's key stars.
"I would never, ever rule out selling anyone because the worst thing I could do is over-promise and under-deliver," he said. "You will never, ever get me saying never but I would say we're very difficult sellers.
"We make it very difficult for people to get our players. We put them on long-term contracts. We are not easy sellers, despite that perception. As we sit here today I can't envisage any player we want to retain leaving."