Newcastle sporting director leaves the club after just one season as Premier League side release…
Craig Hope
3 – 4 minutes
13:03 BST 27 May 2025, updated 15:53 BST 27 May 2025
The executive has spent one solitary season at the club since joining in summer
Mitchell departs without having made a major first-team signing in his tenure
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Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell will leave the club after less than a year – and without making a first-team signing.
Mail Sport revealed in the early weeks of last season that there was tension between Mitchell and Eddie Howe.
The pair went a fortnight without speaking after the close of the summer transfer window, which ended with the failure to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi after a drawn-out saga.
Mitchell was also critical of the club’s transfer strategy during an interview with journalists – he labelled it ‘not fit for purpose’ – and his remarks were not well received by many inside the club, including Howe.
The manager hit back when he said: ‘We can hold our heads up very high. I took ownership of all those signings. They have been brilliant signings. We love them to bits.’
We also revealed how Mitchell’s introductory meetings with players and staff had not gone down well, and there were concerns over his approach.
Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell is set to leave the club after just one season
The sporting director was all smiles just last week after overseeing Dan Burn’s deal extension
And now, on the eve of this summer’s transfer window, comes confirmation that he will leave the club by ‘mutual consent’ at the end of June. Darren Eales, the chief executive who recruited Mitchell, is also due to go in the ‘near future’ because of health reasons. That will leave Howe with more control on recruitment, assisted by chief scout Steve Nickson and deputy Andy Howe.
Mail Sport reported last week that the club are considering appointing a technical director, and it may be that the ‘sporting director’ role is discontinued, after the departures of Dan Ashworth and Mitchell in just over a year.
A club statement read: ‘Paul Mitchell, Newcastle’s sporting director, will leave the club by mutual consent at the end of June 2025. Paul joined the club in July 2024, reuniting him with Magpies CEO Darren Eales, who had previously recruited Paul to Tottenham Hotspur in 2014. Due to health reasons, Darren will be stepping down as CEO in the near future.
‘During Paul’s tenure as sporting director, the club won its first major domestic trophy in 70 years, lifting the Carabao Cup in March 2025, and has secured Champions league football for the 2025/26 season.’
Mitchell said: ‘I’d like to thank everyone at Newcastle United for their support over the last year, including Eddie Howe, Becky Langley, the players, staff, owners, and fans. It has been an honour to be part of the club and to work with some incredible people.
‘I’m leaving at a time that is right for me and the club, particularly with Darren Eales – someone who I have worked with so closely in my career – moving on soon. The club is in great hands on and off the pitch, and is in a fantastic position to continue building.
Premier League’s European places confirmed after never-seen-before scenario on final day of season
Josh Lawless
3 – 4 minutes
Premier League’s European places confirmed after never-seen-before scenario on final day of seasonPremier League’s European places confirmed after never-seen-before scenario on final day of season
Updated 19:18 25 May 2025 GMT+1Published 18:01 25 May 2025 GMT+1
The Premier League will have plenty of representation in European competition next season.
The Premier League’s European places have been confirmed after the final day of the 2024/25 campaign, with plenty of English representation in next’s season competitions.
On Thursday, Spurs confirmed their return to the Champions League next term after defeating Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final in Bilbao.
They joined Premier League champions Liverpool and Arsenal in securing a spot in Europe’s premier club competition, while Manchester City finished third with back-to-back victories seeing them make the Champions League for the 15th consecutive season.
Chelsea narrowly defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 in a Champions League decider of sorts at the City Ground, while Newcastle pipped Aston Villa to fifth as both suffered defeats.
Manchester United did Newcastle a favour, claiming a 2-0 win against 10-men Villa after Emiliano Martinez was sent off on what could be his final game for the club.
How many English teams will play in next season’s Champions League?
The usual four places increased to five thanks to the performance of Premier League sides in Europe, which bagged one of two European Performance Spots (EPS) handed out.
That, coupled with Spurs’ first bit of silverware since 2008, means an unprecedented scenario of six Premier League teams in the Champions League next season.
Six Premier League teams will be in next season’s Champions League. Image: Getty
Six Premier League teams will be in next season’s Champions League. Image: Getty
Crystal Palace have also qualified for European football for the first time after beating City in the FA Cup final, a win which booked their place in next season’s Europa League.
Sixth-placed Aston Villa have to make do with a Europa League spot after a memorable run to the Champions League quarter-finals, with seventh-placed Nottingham Forest qualifying for the Conference League play-off round because of Newcastle’s Carabao Cup triumph and subsequent qualification for UEFA’s premier club competition.
It means there will be a total of nine English teams enjoying European nights in 2025/26 – made up of six in the Champions League, two in the Europa League and one in the Conference League.
Which English teams have qualified for European football?
Liverpool (Champions League)
Arsenal (Champions League)
Manchester City (Champions League)
Chelsea (Champions League)
Newcastle United (Champions League)
Spurs (Champions League)
Aston Villa (Europa League)
Crystal Palace (Europa League)
Nottingham Forest (Conference League)
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Premier League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, Champions League, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal
