Paul Mitchell admission puts Eddie Howe position in focus as Newcastle United face transfer test
Newcastle United need at 'least two' new players to arrive at the club in January - and getting such deals done will be a test of Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell's relationship.
That's according to The Mirror's Simon Bird, who believes the dynamic between the Magpies' manager and sporting director will be an intriguing one to watch once the winter window opens.
Speaking on The Bird's Eye View via The Everything is Black and White Podcast, Bird admitted his curiosity about the transfer window to come.
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"We do watch Howe's relationship this January with Paul Mitchell and whether they can kind of conspire together, work together to get a good transfer plan and actually get people through the door, at least two.
"We do watch whether that works because Paul Mitchell said he was part of the committee who would be kind of hiring and firing when we saw him a couple of months ago. So that's an interesting dynamic to watch as well as the results.
"Also the unknown factor of the people in Riyadh and Saudi who are looking at the investment and might just go, we just don't know how they think, they might just seek some kind of crazy show business appointment, which wasn't really what the club was meant to be all about.
"We don't know how they're going to react to a prolonged bad result.”
Howe's side are currently five without a win in the Premier League and face a crucial week with a League Cup clash with Chelsea tonight at St James' Park before title challengers Arsenal visit on Saturday.
The bad run of results has seen some question Howe's future on Tyneside but for Bird, he feels that Toon boss is going nowhere.
“Howe is owed at least this season, and then you look at it in the summer, if it is a bad season, we don't know if it's going to be a bad season. If it is going to be a mid-table season with no cup wins, I think you still got the season.
"There's no point in making a change mid-table - it would be nice to see a club stick with a manager and see how he can rebuild a second team. Rebuilding is always the most important, the toughest thing to do when you've been in the job a long time.
"People have heard your routines, they know the training, they might get a bit stale, might be a bit unchallenged. Rebuilding aside is the hardest thing, but he is a smart guy. So you'd think given the backing, he could be flexible and rebuild.”
You can listen to the full episode here or watch it via YouTube by clicking the embed above or by clicking here. The Everything is Black and White Podcast is an award winning Newcastle United show bringing you a minimum of six episodes, for free, every week.