Eddie Howe is the most powerful man at Newcastle United right now -Paul Mitchell’s exit proves that.
Adidas headquarters, Herzogenaurach, Germany. Friday, July 19. The battlelines were drawn.
Eddie Howe has never appeared as unsettled at Newcastle United as he was that afternoon. Days earlier, he’d lost two big allies in Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, and the arrival of sporting director Paul Mitchell threatened a new power dynamic. He was unsure where he stood.
“The club has to choose its direction and that is their right,” Howe said during a half-hour sit-down with journalists. “I've got no issue with that. But obviously, I have to be happy in my work. I have to feel that this is something that can benefit me and the football club for it to work. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say."
Even under Dan Ashworth, Mitchell’s predecessor, Staveley handed Howe the transfer keys. What Howe wanted, Howe got. And it worked - Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali to name a few - albeit it left the club in a tricky position regarding Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
But what Howe wanted, Mitchell evidently didn’t after labelling the club’s transfer policy “not fit for purpose” in a car crash interview last September.
Mitchell was keen to distance himself from any blame after failing to secure a major signing last summer. A “pre-defined strategy” prior to his arrival, he claimed, saw him tasked with trying to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. With £70million supposedly the price, Mitchell refused to bite.
Will Osula, recruited on the advice of United assistant Jason Tindall, was Mitchell’s only outlay. A “project player” Mitchell called him - he would have liked more of those, whereas Howe, while not against the idea, favours proven players for the here and now, even more so now with Champions League football on the horizon again.
Eddie Howe wins Newcastle United power battle
Crucially in all this, Howe wants it to be his players. His signings. And after the news that Mitchell will depart at the end of June, it seems the club’s hierarchy favour that approach too. Who can argue against that? After guiding Newcastle to a first domestic trophy in 70 years and securing a place at Europe’s top table, Howe deserves whatever he wants.
He is the most powerful man at the football club right now.
It is unclear currently if Mitchell will be replaced, though the club statement didn’t suggest so, which hints at a reshuffle at boardroom level. Given that both Ashworth and Mitchell’s spells have ended miserably, having a sporting director doesn’t feel as necessary as it once was.
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CEO Darren Eales will leave the club in the near future due to health reasons and is set to be replaced by an external appointment. Could we see the same on the recruitment front? Only time will tell.
Mitchell’s exit won’t impact Newcastle’s summer transfer plans, head of recruitment Steve Nickson and assistant Andy Howe are already in senior positions and will support Howe like they did before. With United’s PSR) struggles a thing of the past for now, a big few months are anticipated on Tyneside.
Being in a sound financial position is in part down to Mitchell after he pulled off a masterstroke in getting Juventus to pay £20m for Lloyd Kelly this summer. Mitchell’s legacy at Newcastle United? Definitely that, as there is little elsewhere.
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