Just when it looked like Newcastle United were going to enjoy a smooth transfer window, we got swiftly reminded on Tuesday that it’s rarely plain sailing on Tyneside.
The club issued a statement announcing that Sporting Director Paul Mitchell, who had only been in the role for less than a year, was to depart at the end of June.
Considering we were all looking ahead to his first full summer window at the helm, the news was a post-season bombshell and has sparked speculation throughout the fanbase.
However, just over 24 hours removed from the announcement, news has come out hinting that things weren’t boding well on Tyneside for Mitchell, with one claim in particular standing out.
By most accounts, Paul Mitchell will leave on good terms, but his departure as Sporting Director seems to come following a power struggle we he was never going to win.
Writing in The Mail, Craig Hope has revealed that not only did Mitchell and manager Eddie Howe not get along, as had long been speculated by fans, but Mitchell was openly critical of a number of the club’s recent signings.
Two of them being the near faultless duo of Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento: two fully fledged England internationals and hopefully part of the Newcastle team for years to come.
Hope reports that Mitchell had doubts over the value of either player’s respective transfer fee: just under £75m combined once bonuses have been factored in.
“We understand he made no secret of his belief that the club overpaid for Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, two players who would win England caps before the season was out.”
The success of both the Hall and Livramento transfers, amongst other factors, looks to have drawn the ire of Mitchell, which Hope reports to have caused a mini rift between the Sporting Director and the Gaffer.
“Instead of embracing Howe’s strengths, it was as if Mitchell felt intimidated by them, like the supply teacher who realises the smart kid could take the lesson.”
Even when both men publicly stated they were pleased to work with one another, and valued each other’s presence and strengths in the day-to-day running of the club, it’s now clear that it was rarely the case.
With a track record like Mitchell’s, who enjoyed great success at Spurs and Monaco, he should have been the easiest person in the world to embed into our club’s hierarchy.
But to have such reservations over not only two of the club’s top new talents, but arguably the best full back partnership in the Premier League was truly never going to go down well with neither the fanbase or the club itself.