The month-long chase for Newcastle's soap opera protagonist Mark Gay ended in failure this summer. Mitchell, however, played down his role, claiming he was playing a supporting role within the framework of an established strategy and emphasizing that it was the result of a team consensus.
Although Mitchell admits that he might have been more comfortable if he had joined earlier, he states that his role was limited to providing support and would not have interfered with the overall strategy. He acknowledged that this could be seen as an excuse, but he did try to explain the events objectively.
Mitchell admits that he realizes that following a pre-determined strategy to get to market is fraught with challenges. "Ultimately, you find yourself in a role of simply providing support, not facilitating."
Howe was unanimous in his choice of target players, and his aim in bringing in reinforcements was not to seek replacements, but to materially upgrade the starting line-up. Although the list of players has not been made public, Mitchell made it clear that Howe still sees Gay as the center back who could transform the team, even if other players are also approved. Nevertheless, Mitchell hinted at a desire for Newcastle to expand their horizons in the future market.
Mitchell said, "Eddie made it clear that I can't come up with a specific plan in seven weeks because I'm just a supporting player. There are certainly other options because it's the responsibility of the department and the team."
"That's how we got to this point. Either you sign that player or you don't - and that's because I'm happy with the level of players available. You can do multiple deals at the same time and the focus doesn't have to be that narrow. We may be too narrow, but in the middle of July I can only offer support rather than control through my strategy."
Mitchell emphasized that every player's addition was decided upon by Howe and made it clear: "There wasn't a single player that he [Howe] wasn't involved in the decision and then said, 'That's the guy I want.'"
Newcastle insist they stopped bidding for Guy before more offers leaked. Although Mitchell did not name the player or Crystal Palace, he stressed that they were still trying to reduce the price until the final days of the transfer window.
According to Mitchell, Sven Botman and Jamal Russell will return in December, so there are enough central defenders in the Newcastle squad, even if they are unavailable for the next few months.
Behind the scenes, Mitchell has been emphasizing the need for Newcastle to show the market that they will not be held to ransom. He has never made it clear that he believes the club has paid over the odds for players before, but he seems to feel that it does and wants to send a message that the club will forgo inflated deals rather than pay a premium in the future as well.
"The Newcastle tax is real," Mitchell said. "Does every player have a point of value of their own? Does this soccer club need to draw the line that 'we're not going to overpay for players'?"
"It's about setting a precedent for the market that we will pay a fair price for the right players. It shouldn't be interpreted that it's a lack of ambition because if we just keep spending and spending and spending and spending and spending, we're going to be penalized, like penalized with fines and demerits, and that's not good leadership, that's not a good club manager, that's not playing your role responsibly - that's negligence. That's just for ego. We're not going to do that."
However, fans are not convinced that Howe has been given a better squad. Only 7.5% of respondents to our poll believe that Newcastle are stronger than where they were at the end of last season, 45.6% believe that the team is now weaker, and 46.9% believe that there has been no change, which in itself represents a form of inertia.
One of the least convincing arguments put forward by Mitchell is his insistence that Newcastle have "added value" this summer if you "look at the bigger picture". He compared Newcastle to Monaco, who needed to be "completely rebuilt" when he arrived, while on Tyneside the foundations had already been laid.
Talking about the permanent transfer of Lewis Hall, the return of Sandro Tonali, the "strategic investment" of William Osula and the arrival of Lloyd Kelly, Mitchell tried to prove that Newcastle's strategic squad plan was taking shape, but that didn't help Howe now.
But Mitchell knows that to do that in the future, Newcastle will have to be better sellers. Apart from Minter and Anderson, Newcastle have not sold anyone, although Miguel Almiron, Martin Dubravka and Callum Wilson are all players who could be sold.
Considering that Newcastle almost almost failed to comply with the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rule (PSR) this summer, Mitchell seemed surprised that the club hadn't adjusted their approach to trading before.
He said, "We didn't have the window of sale that we expected and we have to think about that strategy as well." "You look at the money we've put in so far, £250m net. That's a lot of money and in that time we haven't sold a single player except when forced to by PSR."
Finally, Mitchell defended his first transfer window by saying that the club he took over had previously spent beyond the PSR and he would not tolerate that happening again. In his view, it was in the club's long-term interest not to overpay for Guy, although he never adequately demonstrated why there was no alternative to referencing a 'predetermined strategy'.
Mitchell said, "Because of the PSR, you don't have the luxury of making big signings. You have to take a long term view to decide where to invest. "
"Would it be easier if I sat in front of all of you with signings that I thought cost the club a fortune? Of course it would. But it's not my job to end up letting them undermine Newcastle's ability to grow and Paul Mitchell's lofty strategic ambitions. My job is to think in terms of the short, medium and long term."
Transfer strategy - and what needs to change
"Does it fit in the modern game, against modern challenges?"
Mitchell was quietly scathing in his assessment of the job he has taken over. He didn't mention anyone specifically, but Mitchell's criticism won't make Dan Ashworth, the sporting director heading to United, feel comfortable.
While Mitchell is not a fan of joining a team in the middle of a transfer window, he believes it will be beneficial to his long-term role as he now knows how to make Newcastle a "sustainable high level club".
"My job is to get us where we want to be in five years," Mitchell said. "We have to be smarter and smarter."
Most specifically, Mitchell - whose role, according to chief executive Darren Eales, is to be "90% responsible for attracting reinforcements" - intends to overhaul Newcastle's scouting Practice. Howe's push to modernize the club and become more scientific in the scouting process is part of the reason the club is looking for a sporting director like Mitchell.
"We looked at the transfer window. There are some transfer targets. Could there be more? I think it's possible," Mitchell said, "Do we have to look at the way we bring in and scout, do we have to look at where we work? Because the market is complex and we have seen the impact that PSR has had.
"Should our scouting and attraction efforts be wider and cast a wider net? Of course we need to and that's the responsibility of me, the scouting team, the attraction team and Eddie. To do that, to scrutinize that. Is that fit for purpose?"
One of the criticisms of Howe from some fans is that he prefers to bring in reinforcements from the Premier League, something the manager denies. Howe would question the fact that Newcastle's attraction team have far more data and analysis on domestic and European targets than they do on targets from elsewhere, and if he had access to a similar level of information he would be bringing in more players from elsewhere.
Apparently, Mitchell wants to provide that for his manager, as he plans to give Newcastle more of a "global view of the players we can sign" so that they can take advantage of "discovering undervalued talent at a particular age".
"I wouldn't say too much about it because we've spent a lot of money signing players from other leagues," Mitchell said when asked if he felt Newcastle were too Premier League-centric when it came to luring players. "It's normal for domestic clubs to focus on the domestic market first. There may be a need to look for more balance externally and globally to broaden our scouting."
The obvious question is whether Howe himself is content with this tweaked approach, and Mitchell seems confident that the manager will be. Referring to the fact that Newcastle face a "considerable (PSR) hole" in June, Mitchell believes Howe will embrace a more economical strategy.
"Eddie is very smart and I think he knows what needs to be improved," Mitchell said. "It's a shared responsibility between him and I:We can look at other areas and bring those great players to his team and be coached by him."
Part of Mitchell's reluctance to jump to conclusions about the summer transfer window is that he analyzes the success of a club's "three-year cycle". In his opinion, clubs should bring in an average of six players per season, meaning that the majority of the squad can be renewed organically every few years.
Mitchell's first summer hasn't been a huge success but, from what he describes as "learning", the sporting director seems to have a more active window in January and beyond.
PIF ambitions, changing timetables and Rumayan's vision
If the message immediately following the takeover was one of limitless ambition and a push for the Premier League title within five to ten years, Mitchell has joined the ranks of the Isles and Howards in revising that timetable.PSR has changed - and most importantly significantly expanded - the -this blueprint.
Mitchell insists that Newcastle supporters are wrong to question the continued commitment of the club's majority shareholder, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), anyway. Instead, they want to raise both men's and women's football to the highest level, with "first class" operators, first class infrastructure and a world-renowned youth academy throughout the club.
On Sunday, after Newcastle's win over Tottenham Hotspur, Mitchell met with the club's chairman, Yasir Rumayan, who said, "I've got a few more gray hairs because of the ambition we actually have." "He is very ambitious and he wants us to play at a top level."
The exact timing of Newcastle's desire to make a sprint to the top flight is unclear. It's something that has to be decided internally before they try to communicate it to the fans.
That's the stage we're currently in," Mitchell said. "You have to agree internally, set the right expectations on the right timetable and then you have to communicate that externally as well."
Crucially, Mitchell argues that PIF recognized the limiting effect of the PSR on Newcastle's rapid growth plans. He claims that the PIF was not deterred, but accepted the need for a change in approach.
"He (Rumayan) can see that the club is growing, but he's smart enough to know that the club is growing too fast in a very short period of time," Mitchell added. "He knows infrastructure is important. He knows a higher overall framework and strategy is vital to get to where we want to get to. Using terms like that shows they have a plan and patience."
Howe's future, links to England - and their working relationship
Speaking at Newcastle's pre-season training camp in Germany shortly after Mitchell's appointment, Howe detailed the uncertainty he felt in the wake of the departures of Staveley and Gudusi and the club's desperate struggle to meet PSR targets.
Although Howe and his side remain unbeaten in all competitions, this is still the 'most difficult' period of the manager's career. According to our poll, 90% of fans believe he hasn't received enough support this summer, even though around half of them warned that the PSR means it's "not entirely the club's fault".
Howe said in July that his own "happiness" was key to his stay at Newcastle after a difficult transfer window in which the manager clearly didn't get everything he wanted.
However, Mitchell is adamant that what Howe calls "relationships" and "boundaries" are being actively worked on. In fact, he firmly believes that as a pair, their visions are "aligned."
"The way we look at the game is that we're very aggressive and that's the way I like teams to play," Mitchell said. "The type of players we sign - physical, energetic, but have to be able to be able to control the ball to some degree. We had a good talk about it. It's a working relationship and it takes time. It has to build trust internally. I'm really enjoying the interaction and we're working and learning together. I'm very optimistic because I know why we can adjust."
Strangely, while Howe has publicly stated that he was "not regularly updated" on the exact status of Newcastle's summer transfer dealings during what he calls the most "hands-off" of transfer windows, Mitchell claims that the two men spoke on a daily basis, often in hour-long Phone conversations.
The suggestion that Eddie and I didn't talk in the transfer window is wrong," Mitchell said. Mitchell said, "Up until the last minute he was fully aware and involved. Rightly or wrongly, my thoughts are that there was over-communication. He was up to date with what was going on in the transfer window.
With Howe continuing to be linked with the England job, some fans remain concerned about the possibility of the head coach leaving the squad if he feels he needs to. However, Mitchell seems completely unfazed by the possibility of the FA wanting to bring Howe in.
"We want Eddie Howe to be our head coach for as long as possible," Mitchell said. "I've never been one to be afraid to take an interest in any staff."
Instead, while Mitchell admits that his relationship with Howe is still developing, he insists that they can find a positive dynamic to operate within, even if it means they sometimes disagree.
Mitchell added: "Positive conflict is still healthy and this part of the relationship can't go all Eddie or Paul Mitchell's way, it has to be a partnership between both parties." "What I've seen of Eddie Howe, what a great coach he is, what he's done on the field is impressive, what I think I can bring to the team and I'm looking forward to seeing where he can take us."
However, if this relationship fails to blossom, then Mitchell will have a major say in whether the manager should be sacked and who should replace Howe in such a situation. Mitchell is not the only influential voice in such a discussion, with Iles and Rumayan also thought to be influential.
"Am I involved in (hiring and firing firing)?" Yes. Can I give my opinion? YES. Should I be able to comment? Yes," Mitchell said. "But under the current structure, it will depend on the opinions of multiple people making decisions at a given time."
Is Europe still the stated goal?
In July of this year, chief executive Ilse said, "We want to really get into European competitions. That's our goal for next season." At that point in time, with plenty of time left in the transfer window, it wasn't a surprise that Newcastle were expecting positive transfers, and even Howe accepted that.
However, supporters' optimism is now much lower. Only 5.3% of respondents said they were more hopeful for the new season because the transfer window had closed, while 55.4% felt less hopeful.
For Mitchell, while he moderated Eales' claims, the objectives have not significantly changed. Howe's squad may not have been strengthened in the market, but Mitchell believes the return of Tonali, keeping key players fit for longer - new performance director James Bunce has been crucial to this - a less crowded fixture list and the head coach's 's excellent performances are all reasons why European qualification is achievable.
"European qualification is realistic as a goal," Mitchell said. "It has to be a challenge for all of us."
Only time will tell if this goal can be achieved after the summer transfer window that Newcastle have just gone through.
