Glamour role for Wigan Athletic old boy

Former Wigan Athletic man Paul Mitchell has outlined his blueprint for Monaco after being named the new sporting director of the French giants.

Having been forced to retire from playing at the age of 27 due to injury, Mitchell - who made 64 appearances for Latics between 2000-05 - moved upstairs to stay in the game.

And after spells as head of recruitment with MK Dons and Southampton, head of recruitment and analysis at Tottenham, and technical director at Red Bull Leipzig, he joins the glamour French giants for a new challenge.

"I am looking forward to taking up my position, meeting the teams and starting to work together to develop the project and establish a sustainable philosophy for the club," said the 38-year-old.

“My philosophy is that you need, year on year, new voices, new profiles, just to stimulate the group. Just to keep the group competitive.

“Keep the group’s daily training at its maximum – that competitive stimulation that all great teams have. It doesn’t have to be a whole wave of new players.

"Two to three to four players every window, of the highest quality, that can try to break into that starting 11.”

Monaco CEO and Vice President Oleg Petrov added: “It is a great satisfaction to welcome Paul to AS Monaco after several successful years with Red Bull.

"And I would like to thank Red Bull for making his appointment possible in a very professional manner.

“Paul will bring his skills in talent identification, recruitment and the development of our players, from the Academy to the first team.

"He will be in charge of the sporting aspects of AS Monaco and I am convinced that his arrival will significantly strengthen our project."