Paul Mitchell's top 10 transfers as Newcastle land swift Dan Ashworth replacement

Former Spurs transfer chief Paul Mitchell has swiftly replaced Dan Ashworth as Newcastle Sporting Director – and it looks like a coup after signing some great players during his career

Newcastle wasted no time bringing in a replacement for sporting director Dan Ashworth after his move to Manchester United, with ex- Tottenham transfer chief Paul Mitchell coming in at St James’ Park.

The Magpies have been preparing for the exit of Ashworth for some time after United made an approach at the start of the year, with the 53-year-old placed on gardening leave by Newcastle in February after he asked to move to Old Trafford.

United have since been attempting to negotiate a compensation fee – with Newcastle demanding around £20m – but a compromise in the region of £12million was reached, Ashworth went and Mitchell has now arrived.

He is seen as a coup for Newcastle after orchestrating a handful of impressive deals at previous clubs – having spotted a number of starlets who went on to become big name stars. So, which of Mitchell’s signings have been the most successful ahead of a big summer at Newcastle? Mirror Football takes a look at his top 10...

10. Steven Davis

Davis might not be a household name around the world, but he’ll go down as a Saints favourite after making 226 appearances across seven seasons at St Mary's.

Mitchell signed the experienced midfielder from Rangers in 2012 after their promotion to the Premier League, and he became an instrumental player. He scored a total of 14 goals for Southampton, but it was his influential displays in the middle of the park that caught the eye.

Davis, who later retired aged 39, was Northern Ireland’s most capped player and was compared by ex-Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino to Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

9. Dusan Tadic

Another smart piece of business for Southampton as Mitchell brought in the Serbian from FC Twente for around £10m in 2014. The winger was a great addition for Southampton as they made a raft of signings for Ronald Koeman’s first season, scoring five times in his debut campaign. He’d go on to make 164 appearances, netting 24 goals in that time.

It was at Ajax, however, where Tadic’s career really came alive. He won six trophies with the Dutch outfit after joining them for around £9m in 2018, reaching the Champions League semi-finals in his first season. T

Tadic now plays for Fenerbache and has just enjoyed a season that saw him net 16 times in 56 outings.

8. Dani Olmo

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

The Spaniard started his career with Barcelona but was forced to move to Dinamo Zagreb to get playing time. After impressing in the country’s top division, Mitchell brought him to RB Leipzig in January 2020, one of his final signings with the German club.

Olmo went from being relatively unknown to being one of Europe’s most talented midfielders. He’s since played 148 times, scoring 29 and often linked with moves to Europe’s elite.

Barcelona have been credited with long-term interest in Olmo and are rumoured to be keen on bringing him their boyhood talent back to the Nou Camp this summer.

7. Nordi Mukiele

A great find by Mitchell as he brought in young French defender Mukiele from Montpellier in one of his first signings in Germany in 2018, with the Bundesliga side paying around £13.5m. At the time, the right-back was just 20 years old and didn’t boast a huge reputation, but at Leipzig he turned the heads of major European sides with a series of solid displays across four seasons in Germany.

Mukiele went on to play 146 times for Leipzig and became one of the brightest talents in Europe, with PSG later bringing him back to France in 2022.

6. Kieran Trippier

Kieran Trippier's arrival at Tottenham in 2015 might have flown under the radar at the time, after joining from Burnley for just £3.5m, but now it will go down as a sign of Mitchell’s unique eye for talent – with the right-back now flourishing for both Newcastle and England.

At first, he found game time hard to come by at Spurs as he competed for the right-back spot with Kyle Walker, but after his rival left for Manchester City in 2017-18, he became first choice.

After falling out of favour with Mauricio Pochettino in 2019-20, however, he was sold to Atletico Madrid, where he enjoyed three superb seasons in LaLiga before earning a £12m move to Newcastle, where he has gone from strength to strength under Eddie Howe.

5. Toby Alderweireld

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

A favourite of Mitchell’s, having signed him twice – at both Southampton and Tottenham.

The Belgian centre-back was brought to St Mary’s on loan from Atletico Madrid in 2014 and enjoyed a stand-out season under Ronald Koeman. Midway through that campaign, Mitchell joined Spurs and the following summer he was instrumental in bringing him with him to north London - noticing that Alderweireld had some of the top defensive stats of any player in the 2014-15 Premier League season.

The Ajax academy star went on to become one of the most highly-rated defenders in the division and ended up playing 236 games for Spurs, including a Champions League final appearance.

4. Christopher Nkunku

Nkunku was a highly-rated prospect at PSG after coming out of their youth system, but was never going to be a regular first team option, having battled for a starting berth with quality forwards like Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Neymar.

So Mitchell brought him to Leipzig in 2019 to offer him more minutes. While he took a while before he began firing on all cylinders, Nkunku played 44 times in his first season, and another 40 the following campaign. The 2021-22 season was where he really took off, netting 35 times in 52 games, before scoring 23 the following year.

That impressive form earned him a £52m switch to Chelsea, though he was frustrated by niggling injuries in his debut season. He managed three goals in 11 appearances in 2023-24 but will be seen as one of the team’s main goalscoring threats next season.

3. Dele Alli

A player of remarkable talent who was tipped for super-stardom – and lit up the Premier League for a number of years in his early career – but one who has sadly deteriorated.

Alli was brought in by Spurs from MK Dons for just £5m, a deal which is seen as one of the best pieces of business given the incredible performances he went on to deliver. He scored 46 goals in his first three seasons as he became one of Pochettino’s go-to players, dazzling supporters with some sensational strikes and passages of play. It’s a testament to Alli’s early talent that Man United’s legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson told Jose Mourinho to buy him for Manchester United as his only piece of advice to the Special One.

Alli played 269 times, including in the 2018-19 Champions League final, before a loss of form saw him sold to Everton in 2021-22.

2. Sadio Mane

Image: Getty Images) Getty Images)

Not many people had heard of Mane when he arrived at Southampton from Red Bull Salzburg in 2014 for just £11m, despite scoring 45 times in 87 games for the Austrian outfit.

He made a great first impression in the Premier League, though, scoring 25 times in his first two seasons on the south coast to turn heads across the country. It wasn’t long before Liverpool came calling, with Jurgen Klopp bringing him to Anfield for £34m in 2016.

The Senegalese forward would become a club favourite and a key player as he helped the Reds win the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020, netting 120 goals from 269 appearances. He also won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Mane now plays in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

1. Son Heung-min

Son has become a household name – at Tottenham and across the world.

Paul Mitchell probably had no idea the South Korean would be as big a hit as he has been after spending the last nine season at Spurs. Mitchell signed Son for a relative bargain of £22m from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and he’s since entered the club’s top five all-time goalscorers – with 162 goals in total - and become club captain after the exit of Harry Kane, who he enjoyed a sensational partnership with.

A sea of South Korean fans are often spotted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium each week and the club have done incredibly well to profit from his popularity in Asia, with Son seen as a major commercial success too.

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