Newcastle United insider says club faced six points deduction amid PSR storm

Newcastle United supremo Paul Mitchell says that the Magpies would have had points docked from the Premier League had they not sold Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson.

Anderson's exit was criticised from some sections of fans after the club's star Academy boy and former youth team skipper was sacrificed for £35m while Minteh's departure to Brighton & Hove Albion left some observers baffled with Newcastle in desperate need of a new winger.

The duo were sold for a total of £65million which helped steer the club away from danger in terms of Profit and Sustainability Rules. Sporting director Paul Mitchell did not arrive at the club until July but admits he felt like the transfer window aged him as Newcastle grappled with the PSR rule book, resulting in just a spend of £35m for William Osula and Odysseas Vlachodimos.

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A near miss on Marc Guehi meant that Newcastle signed off from the summer window on a disappointing note. Reflecting on his experiences, and the potential points deduction, Mitchell told fans at the We Are United event at the STACK: "A lot of people won't believe I'm 21! I looked a lot better pre-July than I did post-September.

"But no, I think it is a complex landscape in the world of football. Definitely for myself I probably underestimated that coming in.

"I would like to say Darren, Eddie and the team in June, in what was a very difficult situation for the club, allowed us to have a platform where we don't have a points deduction."

Mitchell continued to heap praise on Eddie Howe and CEO Darren Eales and said that while the sales were controversial they may go on to benefit the club's quest for Europe this season.

The former Wigan Athletic defender said: "They made brave and tough decisions for the benefit of the club. That is one of our responsibilities as custodians of this club.

"They did a tremendous job. Unfortunately, we lost two very talented young men, but it has put us in a position where we can continue growing and continue getting success on the pitch.

"I can't echo enough what a great job was done in June to make sure we were as financially sound and performance sound as well."