Eddie Howe has finally got what he was ‘desperate’ for at Newcastle United

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After months of waiting, Eddie Howe has finally got something he was ‘desperate’ for at Newcastle United.

It’s the October international break and it’s been a promising one for a lot of Newcastle United’s top stars.

Nick Woltemade struggled in Germany’s win over Luxembourg but Bruno Guimaraes registered an amazing assist for Brazil, while Anthony Gordon was hailed for his display in England’s thrashing of Wales.

Eddie Howe will just be hoping all his players get back in one piece ahead of an important run of fixtures.

Newcastle might not have been in action this past week but it was still a significant weekend as the club confirmed the appointment of Ross Wilson as sporting director.

By his own admission, Howe was ‘desperate’ for the club to fill the position and he’s finally got what he wanted.

• Who is Eddie Howe? The heroic manager who finally brought a trophy back to Newcastle United

What Eddie Howe has said about sporting director role at Newcastle United

Newcastle had been without a sporting director since Paul Mitchell’s sudden departure in June after less than a year in the role, leaving the club without a figurehead for what transpired to be a difficult window.

Alexander Isak threw the club’s plans into chaos, while Newcastle missed out on several top targets to savvier Premier League rivals.

The lack of a director clearly impacted things, with Howe admitting that transfer dealings were ‘frustrating’ and the club were facing ‘big upheaval’ following Mitchell’s surprising and disappointing exit.

However, Howe and Mitchell seemingly didn’t see eye to eye, with Howe wanting to have more control over transfers and work closely with the director, a rift that ensured Mitchell’s stint was not destined to be a long one.

Despite those issues, Howe always denied the tension between the pair and insisted he did want to work with a sporting director, so he is no doubt delighted with Wilson’s appointment.

Speaking in his first press conference after the 2025 summer transfer window closed, Howe said: “I don’t know where that has come from [that he doesn’t like working with a sporting director].

“I’m desperate for a sporting director. The way the modern football club works, I think you need that person with the expertise, the person who’s going to lead the club in all sorts of different ways.

That might be the academy, transfers, it’s a never-ending network now that the sporting director has to navigate his way through.

“So it’s an absolutely pivotal position. I had a very good relationship with Dan Ashworth and a very good relationship with Richard Hughes at Bournemouth for many years.

“We need the position filled, but ideally with the right man, the man who can lead the club forward in many different ways to a very successful era. I’m fully supportive of the position.”

The fact that Howe didn’t mention the departed Mitchell in the list of directors he had a ‘very good relationship’ with seems telling, but things will hopefully be different this time.

Wilson has already got off to a better start by mentioning Howe in his opening statement, with the former Nottingham Forest man revealing he has already spoken to the manager several times.

With 43 signings during his time at Forest, including Elliot Anderson, Anthony Elanga and Murillo, Wilson is renowned for his transfer dealings and will be looking to have a similar impact at St. James’ Park.

Why things didn’t work out for Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell at Newcastle United

Mitchell was hired in July 2024, replacing the departed Dan Ashworth, but he arrived at a difficult period for the club as no signings could be made due to PSR restrictions.

After the window closed, Mitchell criticised the club’s transfer strategy in recent years, questioning if it was ‘fit for purpose’, especially in the winter of 2022.

Those comments clearly ruffled some feathers as Howe launched a spirited defence of his dealings the following week, saying he was: “very, very proud of every single player that we signed in that period.”

He continued: “It’s easy to look back on any transfer window and make a judgment on the players that you signed three years down the line.

“But, actually, you have to go back to the situation that we were in at those moments and when you’re in the relegation zone and trying to recruit players, that’s not an easy thing to do.

“You are also recruiting for the long-term and not just the short-term and I think when you look then that work was good.

“Our objective was to stay in the league, and I’m not going to critique every signing, but I’m proud of the body of work that we did and the players that we have now from the legacy of those transfers. I think everybody can hold their heads up very high.

“I’m very, very proud of those signings and I’ve said all along – and I don’t want to make it about old and new structure – but those signings I played a huge part in.

“I took ownership of all those signings, whether they were good, bad, I’ll take ownership of that as ultimately I was the final decision maker on those signings.”

Newcastle signed Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Chris Wood in that window and, given three of the five remain crucial members of the team today, Howe’s defence of the dealings is completely justified.

“I was very proud to sign those players and I think they’ve been brilliant signings for where we were and the very long-term future of the club and I really believed in them and still do. I’d certainly like to find a few more of them,” he added.

Howe was then asked directly about Mitchell’s comments, whether he’d spoken to him and if there was an internal ‘civil war’ at the club.

“I’ve had no contact from Paul,” he said. “But I don’t think that is unusual. We’ve got different jobs to do, I’m focusing on the football and the team and he’s focusing on his role.

“As for civil war stuff, absolutely not in my experience.

“I don’t involve myself in politics. For me, this job is very much about the players that we do have and trying to make the supporters proud every time that we play.

“Everything else around that I try not to get involved in.”

Howe might not get involved in ‘politics’, but he’s certainly manoeuvred himself into a powerful position to get everything he wants at the club, and he’s earned it with his side’s performances on the pitch.