Newcastle United are in a state of chaos after the Paul Mitchell saga took another few turns.
Indeed, while Newcastle United had already communicated the fact that Mitchell was leaving at the end of June, there were more headlines on Tuesday.
Mitchell is set to leave Newcastle at the end of June but there were claims that the process had been sped up.
There were then conflicting reports that he was in fact staying until the end of June, but was passing on the responsibility of transfer business to Andy Howe (nephew of Eddie Howe) and head of first-team recruitment Steve Nickson.
Whatever the case, it’s a real mess.
Newcastle United cast into chaos in Paul Mitchell saga
The Daily Mail claimed Mitchell had stood down before Luke Edwards of The Daily Telegraph revealed he was still in place.
More news then came out after Craig Hope of The Mail took to social media platform X to highlight the fact that agents and sources at selling clubs have been told Mitchell is no longer the point of contact.
It’s an absolute mess. Howe wants Newcastle to sign players quickly, but quite how that is done when there’s an element of doubt of who exactly is in charge of the situation is up for debate.
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This needs to be a big summer at St James’ Park. The Newcastle United squad hasn’t been significantly added to since the summer of 2023 and they have little time to waste.
This uncertainty behind the scenes surely cannot be good for business. Owners PIF are being cautious in the transfer market, but that kind of relaxed approach just isn’t playing out in public.
Why is Paul Mitchell leaving Newcastle United?
Mitchell said the fact Newcastle CEO Darren Eales was leaving was a major reason for his departure, though it’s not yet clear as if that was the only factor.
Eales is sadly stepping down on health grounds and has stayed on until the club appoint a successor.
Mitchell made five signings at Newcastle, none of whom could yet be considered regular first-team players. Perhaps one day, we’ll look back on those players as unearthed gems.
For now, however, the Mitchell saga has turned out to be a lot more hassle than it’s been worth.
Geordie Boot Boys understands Brentford’s Phil Giles could replace Mitchell at Newcastle, though plenty of other names have been linked.