Paul Mitchell, Newcastle United’s new sports director, has a broad mandate in his fascinating new position at St. James’ Park. The boardroom leader must now make two significant hirings behind the scenes.
Prior to Mitchell’s appointment this summer, Graeme Carrick, the under-18s coach, departed Newcastle to rejoin his brother Michael at Middlesbrough. Ben Dawson, the under-21 manager, followed him out the door earlier this week to take up a first-team coaching role at Leicester City.
Considering Dawson’s tenure at Newcastle, his departure is a significant setback. The coach began his tenure with the Magpies more than ten years ago as a professional development coach. Since then, he has held roles including academy head of coaching and lead coach for the under-21 team.
Newcastle, who are also keen to complete senior transfer business as quickly as possible, now need to give the hiring of two important coaches for academy and reserve posts their full attention.
The Daily Mail article Magpies hero Lee Clark is eager to take on the role. He most recently managed Al-Merrikh in Sudan. Former Sunderland manager Jack Ross is presently Newcastle’s head of coach development and may run for the open under-21 position.
A few outside additions are also probably in order, considering Newcastle’s aim to be ‘best in class’. The club has been investing a lot of money in its young structure lately, and Mitchell’s appointment hasn’t changed that strategy.
The sports director visited Adidas’ headquarters in Germany recently, so he has already seen some of the club’s youth players. In a friendly match played behind closed doors last weekend against SPVgg Unterhaching, players like Leo Shahar, Johnny Emmerson, Jay Turner-Cooke, Jamie Miley, Cathal Heffernan, Garang Kuol, Ben Parkinson, Ellis Stanton, Alfie Harrison, and Trevan Sanusi were all given a taste of the action.
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