Paul Mitchell is yet to make any major signings as Newcastle United sporting director.
While Newcastle have agreed to sign Vakhtang Salia from Dinamo Tbilisi in 2025, there have been no arrivals that immediately improve Eddie Howe’s starting XI.
It has not been for the lack of trying, with Paul Mitchell failing to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace in the summer. He was the Magpies’ top target, and it has been claimed that Newcastle will move for Guehi again in January.
Guehi was the one centre-back that Eddie Howe wanted, despite the sporting director looking for alternatives. Mitchell spoke to Nice about signing Jean-Clair Todibo, but he was someone who others at Newcastle United were not keen on.
Paul Mitchell makes Newcastle transfer admission
When Mitchell arrived at St James’ Park, it cast doubt over who would be making decisions regarding recruitment. Mitchell is very good at bringing players in, but Eddie Howe can also point to his record. And the Newcastle United manager will have no interest in working with players he did not want.
Fortunately, that is not going to happen, as Mitchell has confirmed that decisions on buying and selling players are a collaborative effort between himself and Howe.
Mitchell spoke to Newcastle fans at an event at STACK on Wednesday night, with the Athletic sharing details on what he said regarding ‘player trading’.
“Contrary to common belief, I don’t make the final decision on player trading,” he said.
“No sporting director does, just to put that out there. It’s a collaborative approach.
“Every sporting director and head coach, they collaborate in the final decision. We have to get a higher percentage right and make good decisions for the short, medium and long term. And that’s what we intend to do.”
Selling is the big problem for Newcastle United
Mitchell states that Newcastle need to get more deals ‘right’. I would argue that when it comes to incoming deals, the Magpies have been almost faultless since the change of ownership.
Chris Wood was a big purchase, but Newcastle sold him at a good time for a decent fee.
Matt Targett probably has not justified his permanent move from Aston Villa, while the jury is still out on Sandro Tonali given the 10-month ban he served shortly after his £55million arrival. Some will also question the Harvey Barnes deal, given that Newcastle already had Anthony Gordon to play on the left.
What Newcastle do need to get right on more occasions is selling players. The Magpies’ PSR position would be much healthier if they were better at moving players on at the right time.
Between Mitchell and Howe, they must decide who to sell and ensure they are adequately replaced. That will take time, but Newcastle United’s sporting director will certainly have confidence that he can get it right.
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