Newcastle United never saw the best of Paul Mitchell as sporting director.
It has been announced that Paul Mitchell is leaving Newcastle United, with the 43-year-old on his way out of St James’ Park less than 12 months after his appointment.
It is difficult to define his legacy on Tyneside. Two transfer windows passed without a major signing arriving at Newcastle United, with PSR limiting Paul Mitchell’s influence.
The 2025 summer transfer window is expected to be a big one for the Magpies, but Mitchell will not be around to oversee it. Eddie Howe wants four signings, but Mitchell will not be tasked with delivering what the Newcastle United manager wants.
In that respect, it is difficult to look back favourably on Mitchell’s time on Tyneside.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Two exciting teenagers Paul Mitchell signed for Newcastle United
However, there are two players who could change the way Mitchell is remembered at Newcastle United.
The first is Vakhtang Salia.
He is a Georgian winger who will officially join the club in August when he turns 18. Mitchell was behind Newcastle signing Salia, and there is real excitement about his looming arrival.
The second is Antonio Cordero.
Newcastle are set to sign Cordero very soon, with the 18-year-old due to arrive on a free transfer from Malaga.
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The attacker has a lot of potential, with Newcastle believing Cordero can become a Champions League player in the coming years.
The hope is that both players blossom on Tyneside. They could either develop into first-team players and save the club millions of pounds, or become good enough to sell for a huge profit. In turn, that would enhance the Magpies’ PSR position and create room for further investment.
Paul Mitchell boosted Newcastle United’s PSR position
Only time will tell if those Mitchell signings prove to be successful.
Right now, Mitchell’s parting gift is the club’s PSR position.
Those three letters hamstrung the soon-to-be former Newcastle United sporting director, with Mitchell restricted in what he could spend.
The Magpies have needed to become better sellers ever since the change of ownership, and Mitchell showed signs of that becoming a reality.
During the January transfer window, he sold Miguel Almiron to Atlanta United. He also loaned Lloyd Kelly to Juventus, with the Serie A side obliged to sign the defender if certain criteria were met.
That deal has now been triggered, with Juventus signing Kelly in a move that could be worth £20million.
Those deals will give Newcastle United greater capacity to spend this summer.