Truth about eddie howe's newcastle united role after paul mitchell exit

A glance down from the stands on Sunday offered no indication on what was to unfold next at St James' Park. There stood sporting director Paul Mitchell just yards from the chairman

Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Eddie Howe. Former Monaco man Mitchell waved his fists in the air in delight after qualification was secured in the Champions League. Don't forget the club's

first domestic trophy in 70 years was being passed around too and that came on Mitchell's watch as Newcastle supremo in the boardroom. But Mitchell himself admitted that he had not had

a full pre-season to do things his way when addressing fans at the STACK last year. He also credited Howe and the backroom team for successfully navigating their way from a possible points

deduction after the sales of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh. Without those sales Newcastle would have lost points - but that was nothing to do with Mitchell. The only cash signing of any

note on Mitchell's watch was William Osula who came in from Sheff United for £15m. Back in August though Howe said it had been a spot from his assistant and former Blades coach Jason

Tindall. Mitchell's main transfer activity would prove to be the chase of Marc Guehi but he could not get the deal over the line at £70million. Since then it has been about more

outgoings but money for Miguel Almiron to Atlanta United and £20m from Juventus for Lloyd Kelly just months after a free transfer from Bournemouth proved good business. Howe had stated he

was reluctant to sell Kelly but the deal went through. Appearances of Mitchell and Howe together publicly were few and far between but there was no major rift. Howe is strong-willed, and so

is Mitchell. So what has happened between Sunday night and Tuesday lunchtime? Meetings took place on Sunday straight after the game with Mitchell, Howe, chief scout Steve Nickson and Steve

Harper involved. Had their been a difference in opinion in targets? When Mitchell branded the club's scouting network as "unfit for purpose" it caused ripples in the water. It

didn't just surprise the media world but it also left Eddie Howe to defend his own recruitment in a Press conference. Certainly since Sunday agents have been contacted by Newcastle and

potential process and wages have been enquired about. What Chronicle Live has been told is that there has been no bust-ups or no fall out. Different ideas? Possibly, but Howe quite rightly

holds and always did a degree of transfer power and sway behind the scenes. And so he should. Howe is not a control freak, far from it, he has spoken about collaborations before at United.

He does not go out and scout players himself but wants a big say on what deals come in and who goes out. Finding players that can fit into his system has to be vital but this situation is

completely different from Kevin Keegan and Dennis Wise. Or even Rafa Benitez and influential chief scout Graham Carr with the ex-Spurs man eventually leaving. What happens next will be

interesting with a new CEO set to replace Darren Eales soon. Newcastle must decide if they genuinely need a director of football and if they do should it be hand picked by Howe? The good

news is that Newcastle's transfer mission will not be disrupted. Howe pretty much signed Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Sandro Tonali to name a few.

He still has the trusty head scout Steve Nickson on board while Andy Howe works away in the background. The nephew of Howe has been spotted in a club suit at recent first-team matches so

could have been taking an overview of what Newcastle need in the next few weeks. But this should not be classed as anything but a little bit of a reshuffle in the background. Howe can walk

on water at the moment after winning a trophy and getting the Champions League. It's hard to overrule any manager who has delivered so much with three barren transfer windows behind

him. _Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best NEWCASTLE UNITED coverage and analysis._ _Make sure you don't miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free

WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking HERE to subscribe._ _You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click

HERE to be sent all the day's biggest stories._ _And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Everything is Black and White podcast.

Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including SPOTIFY and APPLE PODCASTS, and you can also watch along on YOUTUBE._