Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe admitted he was far from pleased to see a key figure leave the club this summer. He followed the departures of Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson.
Despite the signing of Anthony Elanga, it is fair to say that this summer has been far from ideal for the Magpies. Just one major addition to the first team despite appearing to be very close to a deal for several players since the transfer window opened in June.
Joao Pedro rejected a move to Newcastle United in favour of Chelsea, where he has already won silverware. Elsewhere, Newcastle appear to have lost the race for James Trafford, despite reports saying the deal was set to be completed.
Trafford had even been telling people he was joining Newcastle this summer, so he was convinced a deal was close to completion. The 22-year-old could now be heading to Manchester City, his former club.
Additionally, Newcastle missed out on Liam Delap to Chelsea earlier in the summer despite direct talks with the club and a willingness to match his £30million release clause.
There have also been exits from Newcastle this summer, with the likes of Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson leaving, but it was another move which tipped Eddie Howe over the edge.
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Eddie Howe left fuming by Paul Mitchell’s Newcastle United exit
Despite a rocky start to their relationship, Howe and now former sporting director Paul Mitchell appeared to iron out their creases and were ready to work to get the players they desperately needed in this summer.
However, it all came crashing down when news that Paul Mitchell was leaving Newcastle arose. The 43-year-old failed to make a major signing at Newcastle in the 12 months he was in the role, with just William Osula joining on his watch.
Mitchell did a good job of signing youth players, with Kyle Fitzgerald and Baran Yildiz making a good impact on Newcastle’s Under-18s, but the first-team additions were not enough. Despite reports that Mitchell’s exit was common knowledge, Howe admitted it was the complete opposite, and the news put a sour note on his holiday.
“My phone exploded,” Howe told the press on Mitchell’s exit. “I was enjoying the second day of my holiday, and that quickly went sour. Suddenly, I was like, ‘Oh’.
“It was the second day, and I didn’t know. It was a complete surprise to me, and a big disappointment because we had stability. We were planning the summer ahead, and then that’s a big upheaval that we’ve been in before with Dan Ashworth leaving.
“I’ve experienced it before, and I know the cost that that departure comes with. It wasn’t a good couple of days on holiday.”
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Newcastle United have still not replaced Paul Mitchell
It is now approaching two months since the announcement of Mitchell’s departure, and there has been no word from the club about his official replacement. Despite that, there has been word on who could replace him.
Jason Ayto and Ross Wilson are the two top candidates at Newcastle, with the pair already taking final stage interviews for the position. Despite that happening almost a month ago, no final decision has been made on who to appoint.
Wilson has had success at Nottingham Forest, signing the likes of Elanga and Elliot Anderson for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, while Ayto has been a big help at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and is now keen to take a new step in his career.
There must be an appointment for the sporting director role, and it needs to happen quickly. Newcastle cannot risk missing out on more players this summer ahead of such an important season. One signing will not do it.
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