Newcastle have created a major issue that Paul Mitchell simply must address in 2025

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Paul Mitchell will be ecstatic about Anthony Gordon’s new contract, as it is one less thing to worry about at Newcastle United.

But there are plenty more problems that the Newcastle United sporting director needs to address.

There is the ongoing situation with Alexander Isak’s contract, with Newcastle’s most expensive signing ever yet to extend his stay at St James’ Park.

There is also the looming January transfer window, where Paul Mitchell will look to make up for the failures of the summer. It has been reported that Newcastle’s priority is to sign a right winger.

Bringing another attacker in will be a big boost, and it could help Eddie Howe address a major issue that currently plagues his Newcastle United squad.

Newcastle’s squad lacks balance

The Magpies have a plethora of players who can operate on the left of attack.

Anthony Gordon says left wing is his preferred position, while Harvey Barnes also wants to play there. That is a problem for Howe, and the solution is either leaving Barnes out or playing Gordon on the opposite flank. Either way, someone is left disappointed.

But they are not Newcastle’s only options on the left. Joelinton can also play out there, and it is something he did on multiple occasions when the Magpies qualified for the Champions League.

The Brazilian would dovetail with Joe Willock, who would drift out wide at times and allow Joelinton to play in the middle. They had great chemistry down that left flank, and it is a tactic that Howe would probably like to make more use of.

And even Alexander Isak can play on the left of attack, if Newcastle had the luxury of starting Callum Wilson as a striker.

You can go deeper too. Trevan Sanusi is the most exciting player in Newcastle’s academy, a winger with the potential to become a Premier League player. Even he prefers the left to the right.

Newcastle have nowhere near enough quality on the right

Newcastle have multiple players who are feasibly good enough to play on the left wing. However, it is a different story on the opposite side of the pitch.

Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy battle for that position, but neither of them are really good enough to be in Newcastle United’s starting XI.

It represents a real lack of balance, and it is causing Newcastle problems. If teams can shut down whoever Newcastle’s attacker on the left is then they can pretty much nullify their entire attack.

Paul Mitchell needs to address this problem at Newcastle

Newcastle have a situation where the likes of Willock and Barnes are struggling to get into the starting lineup, while Howe is having to persist with either Murphy or Almiron on the right.

It is a real issue, and one that Mitchell needs to address in 2025 – starting in January and moving towards the summer.

Signing a right winger is the first step, as that will raise the overall quality of the Newcastle starting XI. But there could be an argument that the Magpies then need another player who can operate on that flank too. That might mean someone has to be sold, as PSR means that Newcastle simply cannot just throw money at their problems.