Paul Mitchell has not had a great start at Newcastle United but he has a chance to turn things around in the January transfer window.
After Dan Ashworth was poached by Manchester United, Newcastle United moved quickly to appoint highly-regarded Paul Mitchell as sporting director
However, his first summer transfer window at St James’ Park didn’t exactly go to plan – Newcastle missed out on top target Marc Guehi and failed with a last-gasp move for Anthony Elanga.
The disappointing summer caused tension behind the scenes between Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe and there was even a suggestion that Mitchell’s position is under threat.
Mitchell made matters worse and upset staff when he claimed the previous transfer structure was not “fit for purpose”. Things have slowly been improving, but Mitchell is under huge pressure to deliver in January.
Paul Mitchell hatches plan for January window
Howe has done well to steer Newcastle up to sixth in the Premier League after five games, but performances have not been up to scratch and there are obvious flaws in the squad.
Mitchell and Howe are now seeing eye-to-eye and they both need each other to succeed in the coming months, especially when the transfer window opens back up.
According to The Chronicle, Mitchell has held extensive meetings with the scouting department in the aftermath of his “not fit for purpose” comments.
The report adds that sources say communication between Mitchell and club scouts has been “very good”.
The short-term plan under Mitchell is now to draft a strong list of targets for the recruitment team and Howe to assess in January.
Scouts have now started to take in games under a new look structure. It seems Mitchell is trying to bring all departments together to work cohesively so that Newcastle can avoid the mistakes they made in the summer.
Newcastle can go on £70m spending spree in January
The only silver lining from Newcastle’s miserable summer window is that the transfer budget is looking healthy for 2025.
Newcastle ended up making a profit of £6m over the summer, which will significantly relax the limitations applied by the Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Mitchell is set to be handed a £70m war chest for the January window, and he has no excuses – Howe is in desperate need of reinforcements.
Newcastle could target Guehi again in January as they look to strengthen at the back, while a new right-sided winger will also be high on the priority list again.
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