Why Paul Mitchell is the answer to Manchester United's search for a Technical Director 

Manchester United have fallen from grace since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013. Looking at the current state of affairs, it’s easy to forget that United won the Premier League by a staggering 11 points margin in Sir Alex’s last season.

Since then, United has employed 5 managers. These include David Moyes, Ryan Giggs (Interim Manager), Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. While it is convenient to demonise and change managers every season, United’s main problem lies in the club’s recruitment process.

Manchester United have collectively spent over £770 million on buying new players in the last 5 seasons. In this time United has also broken the British and world transfer records, for Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba respectively.

The problem is when you sit back and look at all the signings from the time Sir Alex retired to now, it becomes nearly impossible to pinpoint even a single signing that has been a complete success. Poor recruitment strategy and constant change in management have converted this United team into a mix of players that are incapable of forming a common identity.

Need for a Technical Director?

As mentioned above, the recruitment process has become a chronic problem for United, but now it looks like they are taking the first steps to address this issue. A Technical Director is solely responsible for the footballing side of things, he/she also plays a vital role in identifying and recruiting top talents and continuously improving the recruitment process.

This makes it easy for the Chairman or CEO (Ed Woodward for Manchester United) to focus on the business and marketing side of the club without worrying about the team and recruitment.

United is looking at various candidates to fill the Technical Director’s position, most recent ones being former United player, Rio Ferdinand and current first team assistant Mike Phelan. One name though that has gone under the radar is Paul Mitchell. But who is he? Let’s look at his profile and what he can bring to United as a Technical Director.

Paul Mitchell – Who is he and what he will bring to United?

Mitchell started as a player himself but failed to reach the heights of the game. Born in Denton, Greater Manchester, he played in the lower leagues for Wigan Athletic and Milton Keynes Dons but decided to hang his boots at only 27.

After retiring as a player, Mitchell decided to take on the administrative side of club football rather than coaching. This decision proved to be a masterstroke, as he developed a reputation of being a fine talent spotter during his spells at Southampton, Spurs, and now at RB Leipzig.

Mitchell has been a success as Technical Director while discovering various top players in the process. At Spurs, he unearthed a young Dele Alli as well as brought in Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier to North London.

Prior to that, at Southampton, Mitchell played a vital role in the transfers of Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic, and Graziano Pelle. He has been the ‘Head of Recruitment and Development’ at Bundesliga club RB Leipzig since February 2018 and has already bought talents like Marcelo Saracchi, Nordi Mukiele, and Matheus Cunha to the German outfit.

Mitchell, if appointed as United’s Technical Director, will bring his immense experience and know-how of the transfer market. He will form a partnership with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to define United’s long-term vision and form a definite identity of the team. Unlike other candidates, Mitchell has already worked as Technical Director for the past several years, so there will basically be no learning curve for him.

Mitchell still has a year left on his contract with the Bundesliga side who are keen on keeping him and have also offered an improved 5-year contract extension. However, he is in no rush to decide on his future, insisting he will wait until summer to analyse his options.

“I also heard the rumours. But it is clear; I have a contract in Leipzig until 2020”, he told German publication, Bild.

“I like my job and I am treated very well. There will certainly be a decision in the summer.”

Meanwhile, both Chelsea and Arsenal are looking to replace their former Technical Directors and will give United a stiff competition for Mitchell’s signature.

Appointing a Technical Director is a top priority for United now if they ever want to reach the heights Sir Alex did in his tenure. Paul Mitchell seems like a perfect fit for the job, but only time will tell where he will finally end up.