Newcastle United sporting director Paul Mitchell
Newcastle United sporting director Paul Mitchell
"I remember the surgeon saying it was similar to someone who had been in a car crash."
Many years have passed, but those words have stuck with Aaron Wilbraham. They take the former MK Dons striker back to a traumatic afternoon at Meadow Lane when his team-mate Paul Mitchell was left writhing on the turf. A seemingly innocuous challenge, a coming together, ended up sounding the death knell on his playing career. At the age of just 27.
"But Mitch was still in the gym every day at the training ground," Wilbraham recalled to ChronicleLive after his friend shattered his tibia and fibula and broke and dislocated his ankle at the same time. "We would get in at 9am and he would have been in there since 7.30am on his own doing his rehab and grafting.
"That was a tough time for him because he was just on one of those arm bag machines where you can't use your lower limbs. He beasted it every day. He worked so hard to come back from it and, in the end, really struggled to get through games and had setbacks. He could have gone on a downward spiral, but he's used that adversity to come back."
The comeback in question has seen Mitchell work his way up in recruitment circles and take up influential positions at MK Dons, Southampton, Spurs, RB Leipzig, the Red Bull Group, AS Monaco and, finally, Newcastle United. Mitchell arrived at St James' Park last summer with a heavyweight reputation in the game, but the sporting director later admitted it was 'difficult' coming into a predefined strategy three weeks after the window opened.
Following a frustrating summer, Mitchell openly questioned whether Newcastle's recruitment processes were 'fit for purpose' and whether some of the players the club had signed before his arrival 'potentially cost more money than they should have'. Eddie Howe, in response, said he was 'very proud of the body of work that we did' after previously warning there was 'absolutely no point saying I’m happy staying at Newcastle if the dynamic isn’t right' following some major changes above him.
Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe with Anthony Gordon after the Newcastle United star signed a new contract earlier this season
Mitchell went on to make light of the commentary on the pair's relationship - likening it to an episode of Big Brother - before hailing Howe as an 'elite professional'. Mitchell stressed it was his job to support Howe and the Newcastle boss, similarly, has spoken of the importance of 'collaboration' ahead of the window opening.
Newcastle now head into this summer in a better position - in so many ways - and 'excited' CEO Darren Eales has talked up the 'real alignment' between Mitchell and Howe following an extended period working together. Wilbraham, who attended Newcastle's wins against Crystal Palace and Leicester City at St James' Park, said Mitchell was 'buzzing to be involved at such a great club' after the 43-year-old moved away from his family to relocate to Tyneside.
"Anything he's ever done, he's done it 110%," the agent revealed. "There's no one I've met in football who is harder working - even as lockdown eased. I had retired at Rochdale and we went over to Monaco to see him when he was sporting director there. I was with my wife, Mitch's wife and another friend of hers and barely saw him for the full week we were there.
"He had left at 7am by the time we were waking up and he wasn't getting back to the apartment until eight or nine o'clock every night even though he had friends over. That's how hard he works day in, day out."
Mitchell has been part of the recruitment team carrying out such tireless groundwork in recent months, which will help inform Newcastle's business this summer, and the sporting director will need no reminding of what a big window this is. After all, it is approaching two years since Newcastle last strengthened their starting line-up.
The average age of the squad has crept up in that time - no other Premier League side have used a higher percentage of players aged 29 and older this season - but Newcastle have a delicate balance to strike. In truth, this group's experience has proved vital.
Look at the know-how these players showed to move into the driving seat in the race to qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three years. Look at how Dan Burn has blossomed into an England international and, arguably, Newcastle's player of the season or how Jacob Murphy has enjoyed the campaign of his life.
Veterans like Kieran Trippier have also helped set standards around the training ground every day. Others follow their lead. That's why bringing in the right characters is going to continue to be crucial as Newcastle target 'the players that Eddie wants'.
"Mitch will always work with the manager and the owners," Wilbraham stressed. "He's always very fair, but very firm. He's going to make sure that he does the due diligence on anyone that Newcastle are going to bring in. He will check everything on what type of person they are.
"He doesn't take people who are going to come to Newcastle for the money or who are just going to turn up for a jolly. He has those old-school values that players have to be hard workers and good people.
"He's always been very methodical and strong in his recruitment, and there will be no stone left unturned when it comes to signing a player. He will make sure it's 100% right for the football club. He cares about the football club and the group these players are going into. That's the most important thing that he brings."