Eddie Howe refuses to answer Paul Mitchell question after Newcastle United transfer criticism

After an unsuccessful summer transfer window that saw Newcastle fail to land a major transfer target, Mitchell came out and criticised the club’s recruitment strategy and questioned whether it was fit for purpose.

Mitchell said back in September: “Should our scouting and recruitment be driven more extensively with a wider reaching net? It definitely should be because this is becoming a really nuanced space now, when you just can't capitally fund everything every year and buying loads of players at peak age and peak price.

“Of course it needs to be, and that's the responsibility of me, the scouting team, the recruitment team and Eddie. To do that, to look at that. Is it fit for purpose?”

Howe was asked about Mitchell’s comments and whether he felt they were constructive for a sporting director to tell the media in a recent Up Front interview with Simon Jordan.

Jordan accused Howe of wanting to tap-dance around his question, to which the Newcastle boss responded: “I do want to tap-dance around. I don't know quite what to say to that.

“You can twist words to suit any narrative and I'm sure Paul wouldn't mean it like that so on this one, I won't give you a direct answer. The most important thing is how me and Paul move together in the future rather than looking back, it's irrelevant looking at how we recruited players.”

Newcastle significantly invested in their playing squad under Howe with the signings of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and several others. But the club were then forced to sell two promising young players in Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson in the summer in order to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.

“I thought we did a good job [signing players],” Howe added. “We have a good squad. I wouldn't say we've recruited poorly, I think we've recruited well unless those players have a big downturn in form but I don't see that. I think those players that we've recruited, you could critique one or two, have done pretty well.

“The most important thing is how we work together and how we recruit players in the future.”