NEW NEWCASTLE SPORTING DIRECTOR'S PLAN THAT MAN UTD OVERLOOKED COMES TO LIGHT

Newcastle have moved quickly to land Paul Mitchell as their sporting director - replacing Dan Ashworth.

The Magpies had one of the best domestic operators at the helm at St James' Park before Manchester United turned his head. After a stubborn stand off a resolution was found that allowed Ashworth to head to Old Trafford - but Newcastle haven't rested on their laurels.

Those within the game may argue that the north east club haven't had to settle at all, in fact Mitchell too was on Sir Jim Ratcliffe's radar when he considered who to bring in as his new sporting director.

Mitchell's stock has continued to rise throughout his career, doing impressive work at Southampton, Tottenham and Monaco. His time in France broadened his horizon and he helped the Ligue 1 outfit to land players who've gone on to achieve huge things, whilst working within a budget and keeping the club's academy at the forefront of everything they do.

At Tottenham he, despite criticism from his own coaches, chose to sign Son-Heung min. The South Korean has gone on to become one of the best buys in modern Premier League history and Mitchell certainly takes every element of the club into consideration when making any decision.

Recruitment, young players and mentors

When he was in the south of France Mitchell did an interview with club media and said the overall plan was: "Finding a great balance of developing and exposing our young talent from the academy, to our signings, to our investment and integrating nicely into the more mature elements of our group."

It was Mitchell for example who created a thriving environment that allowed Aurélien Tchouaméni to flourish. The French midfielder eventually left for Real Madrid and could end up earning Monaco €100million.

Tchouaméni is still a young player and that has been central to Mitchell's plans. He said: "We want to give young players an opportunity to grow and develop" but admitted that "with any young group consistency is a hard balance to find."

At Newcastle he will find a host of young talents who continue to mature and blossom. Some of those are already leading lights at St James' Park - the likes of Alexander Isak, 24, Anthony Gordon, 23 and Sandro Tonali, 24, all have their best years ahead of them.

Lewis Miley, the 18-year-old midfielder who had a breakout year last term, is among those who may benefit from Mitchell's arrival and influence.

Mitchell made it known that, in order to compliment and aid the young talent, having experienced leaders in the dressing room to drive the culture was key. Monaco signed Cesc Fabregas from Chelsea and he played at the club well into his 30s, remaining a sounding board for the whole squad.

The sporting director said: "The attitude of our older players is the key fabric that in the dressing room brings it all together." Newcastle only have two players outside of the back four who are 30 or over with their age profile incredibly lower. The capture of a player, more for their IQ and experience, could therefore be on the cards, especially as the club, who don't have a winning history of late, attempt to join clubs who deal in success annually.

Not solely limited to recruitment and selling though, Mitchell has made it clear that every area will be exhausted to find little wins for the team. "More important for me it is off the pitch - driving standards in each and every department," he said. "Psychology, sport science, medicine, nutrition, the way we travel, the way we refuel. Every element we need to keep pushing to its maximum."

Doing the research

If the Red Devils have been accused of not doing their due diligence over the years when it comes to transfer deaings, Mitchell cannot be accused of the same. He's underlined the need to have a clear plan in place and not freak out after a poor run of results of an injury in a key position.

Newcastle have struck a good balance in the market since their Saudi owners came on board and their new sporting director's philosophy is to do exactly the same. "People look at modern recruitment as very reactionary and very emotional - when I came to Monaco and other clubs it has to be more premeditated," he told Sky Sports.

Ashworth, for all the brilliant plaudits he's enjoyed, has been accused of failing to do the necessary work when signing Tonali. He was the marquee signing from AC Milan 12 months ago but a history of gambling issues meant he was quickly banned and has barely featured.

He is expected to come good - but Newcastle have seen a very expensive asset sit on the sidelines for months. Mitchell believes "investments, if made badly, can haunt and stop progression for a long, long time after that."

One investment he made, but was criticised for, was signing Son whilst at Tottenham. Doubts existed of his finishing, but Mitchell didn't believe that sentiment had legs and the strike record of the South Korean showed that sporting director was more than within his rights to back himself - something he will no doubt continue to do in the north east.

He said: "I took a lot of criticism in my first year at Tottenham, Sonny was at the centre of that, which was a bit of a learning for me. Players are humans, they need time, need to be able to settle. Sonny had a great record at Hamburg and Leverkusen, but there was this narrative that he wasn't a good finisher and I said to a staff member 'you're wrong' because his history shows he is a very astute finisher. What we've seen since that first year is everything we saw."

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2024-07-04T12:02:04Z dg43tfdfdgfd