Newcastle United could reportedly decide to get rid of a high-profile 43-year-old figure at the club, according to an intriguing new claim.
Tensions on show at Newcastle
The Magpies may have had the chance to go top of the Premier League table on Saturday afternoon, but that’s not to say that everything is going swimmingly at St James’ Park currently.
In the end, Newcastle blew that opportunity, losing 3-1 away to Fulham after an underwhelming performance at Craven Cottage, and there are thought to be ongoing issues surrounding those high up at the club, in terms of how they are getting along.
The relationship between Eddie Howe and new sporting director Paul Mitchell is said to be strained currently, with the pair struggling to see eye to eye after an underwhelming summer in the transfer market.
While Newcastle’s results this season have been largely good up until Saturday’s woeful outing, there is an ongoing feeling of unrest at the club, and now a big update has emerged regarding potential sackings in the near future.
Newcastle could now axe 43-year-old
According to a fresh report from Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke, Newcastle could choose to axe Mitchell before Howe, should their relationship continue to be problematic, with tensions growing in recent times between the two.
The update states that “there are no other managers being lined up” to replace the current Magpies manager, who is believed to be “pretty safe” in his job. It goes on to add that “there has been talk at the club that Mitchell would be the first casualty rather than Howe if there was going to be a significant change.”
To see Mitchell lose his job this early in his time at St James’ would not be a good look for anyone involved, considering he arrived at the club with a huge reputation in the summer, having excelled during his time at Ligue 1 side Monaco.
If the relationship between manager and sporting director is suffering, though, eventually push has to come to shove and somebody may need to be relieved of their duties. Howe hasn’t exactly dispelled the rumour about there being an issue, playing down the claims earlier this week but not openly praising his colleague:
“I don’t think it’s right for me to make individual comments in reply to Paul’s press conference. I don’t think that will help our current situation. It’s best for me to focus on the future. I’ve had no contact from Paul (since the interview) but I don’t think that’s unusual. We’ve got different jobs to do. I’m focusing on the football and the team, and he’s obviously focusing on his role.”
The hope is that the situation blows over in the coming weeks and months, allowing both Howe and Mitchell to enjoy a strong working relationship, which can only be beneficial to Newcastle.
That being said, more bad results like the one at Fulham could only see tensions rise further, at which point a decision may have to be made by those high up at the club.
