Just days after Dan Ashworth finally left Newcastle United, the Magpies have announced his replacement.
There were fears that Newcastle United would spend the summer without a sporting director, but that is no longer the case following the arrival of Paul Mitchell.
His appointment has come completely out of the blue, just days after Newcastle finally agreed a compensation package with Man United to allow Dan Ashworth to start work at Old Trafford.
Man United got their man, and now Newcastle have got theirs.
Newcastle announce Paul Mitchell arrival out of the blue
It is a real shock to see Mitchell arrive at St James’ Park, as talk of him joining the club had gone completely quiet when it emerged that Dougie Freedman and Johannes Spors were the frontrunners.
There was even an approach for Freedman, but he turned down Newcastle in favour of staying at Crystal Palace. It felt like the Magpies would move for Spors after the Freedman snub, but that has proved not to be the case.
The club have gone back to one of their previous targets, and a man who had made it clear in April that he wanted to replace Ashworth.
Now he is doing exactly that, much to the delight of the Toon Army.
Newcastle fans react to Paul Mitchell becoming new sporting director
This is the second shock announcement in the space of a week for Newcastle after the arrival of John Ruddy on a free transfer.
Now it is Paul Mitchell who will be taking charge of transfers, ahead of a summer in which Newcastle are yet to really make their mark after focussing their efforts on player sales.
Now business could pick up, and Toon fans have taken to X (formally known as Twitter) to express their delight at welcoming Mitchell to St James’ Park.
That includes Sky Sports presenter and Newcastle fan Pete Graves, who wrote on X: “Sensational appointment.”
Another supporter wrote: “Woof massive news to start the day. Business is about to pick up.”
With new signings needed, this Toon supporter sent a clear message to Mitchell following his unveiling: “Unreal appointment. Welcome Paul, let’s sign some players!”
“Fantastic signing. As good as they get in that kind of role. Track record at Southampton, spurs, RB and Monaco speaks for itself,” added another fan who reflected on Mitchell’s previous roles.
Other fans are just delighted at how out of the blue this appointment is, with one writing: “The signing of Paul Mitchell and the fact that it has been kept wonderfully close to their chests is amazing and imho a highly significant leap forward.”
Finally, this supporter believes that Newcastle have ended the sporting director saga in a much stronger position, writing: “The Paul Mitchell appointment is pretty chuffing good and an upgrade on Ashworth. Sensational.”
Mitchell excited about Newcastle opportunity
Given the work he has done at Monaco, Tottenham and RB Leipzig in the past, there is a huge amount of excitement surrounding Mitchell’s arrival at St James’ Park.
He joins with a big reputation, and there will be confidence from fans that he can fill the void left by Ashworth following his move to Manchester United. His time on Tyneside ended very sourly, and the hope will be that Mitchell has much more joy as Newcastle’s sporting director.
The 42-year-old is certainly looking forward to getting started, expressing his delight at joining Newcastle in an interview with the club’s official website.
“It’s with immense pride that I accept the responsibility of being Newcastle United’s new sporting director,” he said.
“I’ve seen the recent growth and ambition of the club. This, plus the amazing fan base, made the decision to join an easy one.
“I can’t wait to get started and help continue the organisation’s growth and long-term competitiveness in all areas of elite football performance.”
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