Manchester City and Wigan Athletic old-boy secures switch to Newcastle United

The 44-year-old replaces Dan Ashworth, who has just been headhunted by Manchester United in a deal costing £10million.

After starting his junior career at Manchester City, Mitchell came through the ranks at Wigan in the late 1990s, making 81 appearances over the course of five years under the likes of John Benson, Bruce Rioch, Colin Greenall, Steve Bruce and Paul Jewell.

He also turned out for Halifax (loan), Swindon (loan), MK Dons, Wrexham (loan) and Barnet (loan) before his career came to a premature end due to injury at the age of 27.

But that was only the start of his success story, with Mitchell soon carving out a worldwide reputation for himself as a technical guru.

From a modest start as chief scout at MK Dons, Mitchell moved to Southampton in 2012, with one of his key signings at St Mary’s being Sadio Mane.

Mitchell followed manager Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham in 2014, becoming their head of recruitment, with his signings for the London club including Dele Alli, Kieran Tripper and Son Heung-min.

He later joined the Red Bull group, spending time with Leipzig and New York before being appointed as Monaco sporting director in 2020.

Mitchell has previously been linked with both Liverpool and Manchester United, before accepting his new position in the north east.

"It's with immense pride that I accept the responsibility of being Newcastle United's new sporting director," said Mitchell.

"I've seen the recent growth and ambition of the club. This, plus the amazing fan base, made the decision to join an easy one.

"I can’t wait to get started and help continue the organisation's growth and long-term competitiveness in all areas of elite football performance."

Darren Eales, Newcastle United's CEO, said: "We are delighted to welcome Paul to Newcastle United. He brings a successful track record and wealth of experience to the club.

"His extensive and diverse experience in football leadership, cultural change and recruitment mean he is the ideal person to lead our sporting directorate.

"We look forward to working with Paul and supporting him in our pursuit of long-term, sustainable success."