Newcastle secure ‘really good combination’ in transfer boost

Newcastle United have appointed Paul Mitchell as the club’s sporting director and the new arrival and Eddie Howe have been tipped to ‘make a really good combination’

Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell could make a ‘really good combination’ at Newcastle United.

That is the view of David Webb, who is one of the few figures in the game to have worked with the pair, following Mitchell’s appointment as Newcastle’s new sporting director.

Webb identified players aged between 15 and 21 for Southampton during Mitchell’s time at the club before joining his colleague at Spurs as the head of elite potential identification. Webb then moved on to Bournemouth, where he served as head of recruitment during Howe’s spell on the South Coast.

Although Howe and Mitchell have not worked together before, the pair appear aligned on key aspects of the game, whether it is how they both favour a similar style of high-intensity football or how they put great emphasis on character in recruitment. They also like coachable players who are ‘hungry’ and ‘willing to drive hard for success’.

“Those two could make a really good combination,” Webb told ChronicleLive. “They are very similar in terms of their playing careers didn’t go on for maybe as long as they both would have liked. They both went on different paths, but wanted to work at the highest level.

“Both are extremely articulate and intelligent, very hard-working and they like to get the very best out of their profession. They will have a very good balance and are very well-aligned.”

MK Dons chairman Peter Winkelman, who gave Mitchell his first job in recruitment, has echoed those words.

“I know the people Mitch talks to and it’s a different world to where I live,” he added. “It will be a very good fit for Newcastle, particularly at the moment with Eddie. I know both of them and they will gel really well.”