There was tension between Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell at Newcastle United this summer.
Paul Mitchell’s arrival as sporting director brought uncertainty at Newcastle United, during a summer transfer window that did not go to plan.
Eddie Howe was a bit prickly when he addressed the media following Mitchell’s unveiling, talking about the need for control. Meanwhile, Mitchell appeared to take a swipe at Howe’s previous transfer business during an interview after the transfer window closed.
It has not made for good reading, even if a lot of it was blown out of proportion by the media.
Paul Mitchell brings James Bunce to Newcastle United
Sporting Director Paul Mitchell (L) and Performance Director James Bunce (R) look on during the Newcastle United First Team Pre Season Training Ses...
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
But while Mitchell was unable to truly enhance Howe’s squad during the summer, he did make a change to his technical team.
James Bunce arrived at St James’ Park as Newcastle United’s new performance director. He was clearly a Mitchell appointment, with the duo working together at Monaco.
Whether or not Bunce’s arrival concerned Howe is unknown, but the appointment of Bunce was always with the intention of supporting the Newcastle United manager.
That is according to the Athletic, who report that Mitchell told Bunce when he arrived that his job was to ‘protect the head coach at all costs’.
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The Athletic add that Howe and Bunce communicate at least twice a day, to ensure that the Toon boss knows everything he needs to know about the condition of his players.
James Bunce is helping Eddie Howe
Mitchell brought Bunce in to make Howe’s job easier.
The performance director is tasked with ensuring the players are in the right condition to play. This comes after the Magpies endured a horrendous injury crisis last season.
Bunce is involved in deciding how the Newcastle players train, ensuring they are in the best shape to tactically deliver what is required on a matchday.
And if there is concern over a possible injury, a player will not be risked. Newcastle saw that against Brentford recently, with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali dropped to the bench after suffering from fatigue following their blistering performances against Liverpool.
The arrival of Bunce has been a positive one, as he continues to do his best to protect Eddie Howe.
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