Two wins and a draw from their opening three Premier League games sees Newcastle poised nicely in fifth at the time of writing, and ahead of their fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Eddie Howe might well have been disappointed by the lack of transfer business from the Magpies during the summer window, though that’s likely to have been as much to do with the transition from Dan Ashworth to Paul Mitchell in the sporting director role as the need for the club to walk on the right side of the line in terms of Financial Fair Play.
Howe and Mitchell must be given time at Newcastle
It was clear that Howe wanted to land Crystal Palace captain, Marc Guehi, so a failure to do so will have stung, albeit the manager can’t really look to blame Mitchell or the board given that it’s understood they made four separate bids which were incrementally bigger each time.
Transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, believes that Howe and Mitchell just need to be given time to be singing from the same hymn sheet.
“Guys, honestly, I don’t have confirmation on any problems between Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe at Newcastle,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive Daily Briefing.
“They surely need to align and discuss some points of the strategy, but I’d not be dramatic or negative on this.
“Let’s see how they get to know each other and how they work together in the future.
“Time is key in football and let’s not forget that Mitchell only joined Newcastle during the summer, in what was a busy moment for the club.
“Step by step…”
It’s a salient point Romano makes, given that all relationships, whether personal or professional, take time to develop.
Every so often there’s instant chemistry, however, that’s certainly not the norm and things have to be worked at.
The time to judge how well the pair are hitting it off and aligning on strategy will be at the end of the season.
