Newcastle United have been through quite a change already this summer.
Not only have PIF finally appointed a new sporting director in the form of Paul Mitchell but Newcastle have also seen Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi leave the club.
Indeed, all of that change, as well as the opening up of the England job following Gareth Southgate’s departure has led to Eddie Howe being linked with a move away from St James’ Park.
It’s certainly interesting to note that the owners appointed Mitchell without any input from Howe, who is believed to have been hit hard by the news Staveley and Ghodoussi have left.
Still, that doesn’t mean the two will not work well together.
Speaking from the club’s pre-season training camp in Germany, Howe offered some insight.
Eddie Howe shares what he’s already noticed about Paul Mitchell at Newcastle
Asked about the appointment of Mitchell by BBC Radio Newcastle, Howe said: “The early signs are promising.
“So, I think he’s the right person to lead Newcastle United forward. I think he’s got a passion, I think he’ll make good decisions – a very strong decision-maker.
“So yeah, I think it all looks positive.”
Eddie Howe already has a task for Paul Mitchell
While so much change at the club will no doubt take time to settle in, Newcastle need to get ready for the season ahead.
Howe, after all, is said to have been told that he needs to improve on last time out, having slipped from fourth to seventh in the Premier League table – even if there are mitigating factors.
For his part, the Newcastle boss is believed to want Mitchell to ensure that he has a stronger squad available to him by the time the team travel to Japan for a pre-season tour on July 28h.
That does not leave a huge amount of time but, frankly, getting a move on cannot be a bad thing.
The new season is less than a month away and Newcastle don’t feel as if they’ve significantly strengthened at all just yet.
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