The feelings of the Newcastle United club staff have been revealed after sporting director Paul Mitchell confirmed his shock exit from the club.
In a move nobody saw just a few days before the summer transfer window opened, Paul Mitchell announced he was leaving Newcastle United at the end of June.
Fans were worried Newcastle’s transfer plans would be hindered by Mitchell’s exit, but work has been underway for months to ensure the club will not feel the impact of his departure.
Mitchell’s Newcastle exit has been planned for weeks, and he will be leaving the club on good terms with the PIF, despite announcing his departure less than a year into the role.
In his statement, Mitchell cited Darren Eales’ planned Newcastle exit as one of the reasons why he thought it was best to leave the club now. Eales is set to leave the Magpies in the coming months after being diagnosed with blood cancer.
As Newcastle prepares to navigate most of the transfer window without Mitchell, the feelings of club staff members towards his departure have been revealed.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Newcastle United staff are happy to see Paul Mitchell leave
Despite the shock announcement on Tuesday, Mitchell is leaving the club, having made some positive changes.
The 43-year-old helped Newcastle out of their PSR black hole by selling the likes of Lloyd Kelly and Miguel Almiron for surprisingly high fees and played his part in signing the likes of Kyle Fitzgerald and Baran Yildiz, two young players who look set for bright futures on Tyneside.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
However, according to a new report from the Daily Mail, Mitchell will not be missed by members of staff inside the club, who were less than pleased with his daily approach to work at the club.
The report states that in his early meetings, staff were not inspired by his words, which looked at being ‘elite’ and focusing on Newcastle’s playing style, which they thought Howe covered.
One instance was highlighted where Mitchell did not take well to comments that he had not been seen at work for a long time.
By the end, many staff members had given up on having a relationship with Mitchell.
Speculation Paul Mitchell wanted Eddie Howe to leave Newcastle United
Eddie Howe and Mitchell never seemed to fully click at Newcastle, especially in the latter’s early days at the club.
Reports suggested Mitchell had upset Newcastle staff last year after he branded the club’s transfer strategy as “not fit for purpose” following a turbulent summer.
Howe was able to rebuild his relationship with Mitchell, but will now take more control at the club alongside Steve Nickson.
The Toon boss may also be pleased to see the back of Mitchell, as the same Daily Mail report suggested that the sporting director wanted Howe to leave Newcastle in favour of a new head coach.
Players internally believed that Mitchell wanted former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino to take over from Howe, but that never came to fruition.