Eddie Howe has finally spoken out about Paul Mitchell leaving Newcastle United earlier this summer.
Newcastle United fans were shocked when it was announced that Paul Mitchell would be stepping down from his role as sporting director, just 12 months after his appointment.
It turns out that Eddie Howe was shocked about Mitchell leaving too. The Newcastle United manager has said that Mitchell’s exit came as a surprise and was met with disappointment.
That is despite a rumoured fallout between Howe and Mitchell last summer. Their relationship at St James’ Park got off to an extremely difficult start, amid a summer in which Newcastle did not make any major signings.
Simon Jordan responds to what Eddie Howe said about Paul Mitchell leaving Newcastle United
While Mitchell endured a difficult spell with the Magpies, he did offer stability. That stability has now gone, much to the frustration of Howe.
However, former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has appeared on TalkSPORT and described the situation at Newcastle United as ‘laughable’, noting how the narrative has now shifted.
“It’s interesting how the version of events change,” he said.
“This time last year, Paul Mitchell was the problem. There was a disconnect between Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe.
“Roll forward a year, Paul Mitchell not being there is now the problem. Laughable.”
TalkSPORT presenter Sam Matterface responded: “I don’t think we said that.”
Jordan added: “The whole media reporting last year was a fallout between Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe, and the comments that Paul Mitchell made about Eddie Howe being involved in the transaction of Marc Guehi. Roll forward and now we’re spinning a different narrative.”
Matterface replied: “We are not spinning a different narrative. The quote came out from Eddie at the weekend that sometimes having a sporting director is a good shield for a manager.”
Newcastle United’s search to replace Paul Mitchell has gone quiet
Whether it is Mitchell, Dan Ashworth or someone else, Newcastle United would be in a better position right now if they had a sporting director. It would give them stability, as chaos continues to reign supreme at St James’ Park.
As the difficult quest for new signings continues, so does the search for Mitchell’s successor as sporting director.
It was recently reported that Newcastle have two frontrunners, with Ross Wilson and Jason Ayto going head-to-head for the role. However, there have been no further updates since it emerged that they were the leading candidates.
All the while, Newcastle are yet to name a new CEO as a replacement for the outgoing Darren Eales. It was confirmed in September 2024 that he would be stepping down due to health reasons, but would carry on working until a successor was identified.
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