Paul Mitchell (footballer, born 1981)

Paul Mitchell

Personal information
Full name	Paul Alexander Mitchell
Date of birth	(1981-08-26) 26 August 1981 (age 42)
Place of birth	Stalybridge, England
Position(s)	Defender, midfielder
Youth career
1999–2000	Wigan Athletic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2005	Wigan Athletic	64	(0)
2001	→ Halifax Town (loan)	11	(0)
2004	→ Swindon Town (loan)	7	(0)
2004–2005	→ Milton Keynes Dons (loan)	13	(0)
2005–2009	Milton Keynes Dons	59	(0)
2007	→ Wrexham (loan)	5	(0)
2008	→ Barnet (loan)	3	(0)
Total		162	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul Alexander Mitchell (born 26 August 1981) is an English football scout and former professional player.

As a player, Mitchell began playing with the youth teams of Manchester City and Wigan Athletic, making his senior debut with the latter. He also played for Halifax Town, Swindon Town and Milton Keynes Dons on loan, whom he later joined permanently. Mitchell also had loan spells with Wrexham and Barnet before injuries forced an early retirement at the age of 27.

Mitchell has worked with Milton Keynes Dons, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and RB Leipzig on player recruitment.

Playing career

Wigan Athletic

Mitchell began playing in the youth ranks of local club Manchester City before joining Football League Second Division side Wigan Athletic in 1999. ^[1] On 7 December, Mitchell made his senior debut in a 2–1 victory against Burnley in the Football League Trophy First Round. ^[2] After one season in the youth ranks, he was promoted to the senior squad and marked his 19th birthday with his league debut – a 3–1 win away to Wrexham. Introduced as a 64th minute substitute, Mitchell was dismissed with a straight red card after just eight minutes for a professional foul on Carlos Edwards. ^[3]

In March 2001, Mitchell joined Football League Third Division club Halifax Town on loan for the remainder of the season. ^[2] On 24 March, he made his debut in a 3–0 win against Barnet. ^[4] Mitchell made a further 10 appearances as the club narrowly avoided relegation to the National League by just two points. ^[5]

Mitchell returned to Wigan for the 2001–02 campaign and made 25 appearances in his first season back after breaking into the first team. He remained a regular starter as they celebrated winning the 2002–03 Second Division title with 100 points, but struggled to keep his place following promotion to the First Division. Managing just 12 appearances in his first campaign in the higher tier, Mitchell opted for a second loan spell to gain further experience.

In September 2004, Mitchell joined Football League One club Swindon Town on a one-month loan deal. He made his debut in 1–0 win at Colchester United on 4 September and went on to make a further six league appearances. ^[6] Mitchell's loan deal was initially extended for a further month, but injuries forced him to return to parent club after two weeks. ^[7] Upon returning to Wigan Athletic, Mitchell made what would become his final appearance for the club in 2–0 win away to Leeds United on 31 October. ^[8]

In December 2004, Mitchell returned to the Football League One with a loan spell at Milton Keynes Dons. On 11 December, he made his debut in 3–0 win against Wrexham. ^[9] Mitchell made a further 10 league appearances and a single FA Cup outing before his return to Wigan in March 2005.

Milton Keynes Dons

In July 2005, Mitchell joined Milton Keynes Dons on a permanent deal following his release from newly promoted Wigan. He became a first team regular and captained the team during the 2006–07 campaign. In January 2007, Mitchell joined league rivals Wrexham on a three-month loan deal after struggling for game time at Milton Keynes. ^[10] In early February, Mitchell was recalled by his parent club two months early. ^[11]

On 24 February, Mitchell was stretchered off in a 2–2 draw Notts County. Scans revealed fractures to the tibia, fibula and ankle surfaces which would require 18 months of rehabilitation. ^[1] He returned to action in a 2–1 defeat to Cardiff City on 26 August 2008, but the match proved to be his final match for the Dons. ^[12] Later that month, Mitchell signed for Barnet on loan as part of his recovery process. ^[11] On 30 August, he made his debut during a 5–1 defeat to Chester City. ^[13] A week later, he completed 90 minutes in a 4–2 defeat to Dagenham & Redbridge in the Football League Trophy. ^[14] Mitchell made a further two appearances, with his final coming in a 1–1 draw with Morecambe on 13 September. ^[15]

Mitchell was unable to complete a full recovery from the injury and was forced to announce his retirement on 12 January 2009 at the age of 27. ^[1] He was immediately offered an ambassadorial role by Milton Keynes Dons and began working with the club's Sport and Education Trust. ^[16]

Recruitment career

Following Milton Keynes Dons' appointment of Karl Robinson as manager in 2010, the club created a recruitment division and named Mitchell as the club's first Head of Recruitment. ^[17] He was notably responsible for the signing of former England international Alan Smith. ^[18]

In January 2012, Mitchell joined Championship club Southampton as Head of Recruitment. ^[19] The club gained promotion to the Premier League in his first season and Mitchell began working with Mauricio Pochettino following his appointment in January 2013. He oversaw the signings of players including Nathaniel Clyne, Maya Yoshida, Paulo Gazzaniga and Steven Davis. ^{[20] [21] [22] [23]}

Following Pochettino's move to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Mitchell completed his switch in November 2014 to link up with the manager. ^[24] He helped the club sign players such as Dele Alli, Son Heung-min, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld. ^{[25] [26] [27]} In August 2016, reports suggested Mitchell was to leave the club "after his dream job turned into a nightmare" and he had fallen out with chairman Daniel Levy. ^[28] In December, it was revealed Mitchell was serving his 16-month notice period. ^[29]

In February 2018, Mitchell was named Head of Recruitment and Development by Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. ^[30] In his first transfer window with the club, Mitchell helped sign Matheus Cunha and Nordi Mukiele, as well as Arsenal youth prospect Emile Smith Rowe on loan. Mitchell attracted interest from several Premier League clubs throughout 2019 and was heavily linked to a move to Manchester United. ^{[31] [32]} Reports suggested he could be offered an expanded role as Technical Director to oversee Red Bull's global football – including FC Liefering, Red Bull Salzburg and the New York Red Bulls ^[33]

In June 2020, Mitchell joined Monaco as sporting director. ^{[34] [35]}

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Wigan Athletic	2000–01 [36]	Football League Second Division	1	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	5	0
	2001–02 [36]	Football League Second Division	23	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	25	0
	2002–03 [36]	Football League Second Division	27	0	2	0	3	0	2	0	34	0
	2003–04 [36]	Football League First Division	12	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	14	0
	2004–05 [36]	Football League Championship	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	Total		64	0	4	0	8	0	4	0	80	0
Halifax Town (loan)	2001–02 [36]	Football League Third Division	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0
Swindon Town (loan)	2004–05 [36]	Football League One	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
Milton Keynes Dons (loan)	2004–05 [36]	Football League One	13	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
Milton Keynes Dons	2005–06 [36]	Football League One	39	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	43	0
	2006–07 [36]	Football League Two	20	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	24	0
	2007–08 [36]	Football League Two	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2008–09 [36]	Football League One	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		59	0	5	0	3	0	1	0	68	0
Wrexham (loan)	2007–08 [36]	Football League Two	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Barnet (loan)	2008–09 [36]	Football League Two	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
Career total			162	0	10	0	11	0	6	0	189	0

References

1. Worthington, Barry (27 March 2011). "Where Are They Now – Paul Mitchell (Interview)". wigan.vitalfootball.co.uk. Vital Wigan Athletic. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
2. "Swapping shirts: Paul Mitchell". Wigan Athletic FC. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
3. "Wrexham v Wigan Athletic". redpassion.co.uk. Red Passion. 26 August 2000. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
4. "Halifax Town 3–0 Barnet". 11v11.com. 11v11. 24 March 2001. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
5. Heneghan, Michael (19 June 2005). "England 2000/2001". RSSSF . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
6. "Colchester United 0–1 Swindon Town". 11v11.com. 11v11. 4 September 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
7. "Paul Mitchell – Player Profile". swindon-town-fc.co.uk. Swindon Town FC. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
8. "Leeds United 0–2 Wigan Athletic". 11v11.com. 11v11. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
9. "Milton Keynes Dons 3–0 Wrexham". 11v11.com. 11v11. 11 December 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
10. Rutledge, Lewis. "Mitchell makes Wrexham switch". Sky Sports News. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
11. "Paul Mitchell". 11v11.com. 11v11. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
12. "Cardiff City 2–1 Milton Keynes Dons". 11v11.com. 11v11. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
13. "Chester City 5–1 Barnet". 11v11.com. 11v11. 30 August 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
14. "Dagenham & Redbridge 4–2 Barnet". 11v11.com. 11v11. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
15. "Barnet 1–1 Morecambe". 11v11.com. 11v11. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
16. "Mitchell forced to retire". Sky Sports News. 6 January 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
17. "Tottenham lure Southampton's former talent spotter Paul Mitchell". The Guardian. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
18. "Alan Smith joins MK Dons following Newcastle United exit". BBC Sport. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
19. "Southampton scout Mitchell completes Tottenham move". Eurosport. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2019.^{[ dead link ]}
20. "Crystal Palace's Nathaniel Clyne seals Southampton move". BBC Sport. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
21. "Southampton sign Maya Yoshida, Japan's Olympic captain". BBC Sport. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
22. "Southampton sign Gillingham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga". BBC Sport. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
23. "Rangers captain Steven Davis signs for Southampton". BBC Sport. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
24. "Club announcement". Tottenham Hotspur FC. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
25. "Dele Alli: Tottenham sign £5m MK Dons midfielder & loan him back". BBC Sport. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
26. "Kieran Trippier: Tottenham complete deal for Burnley full-back". BBC Sport. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
27. "Toby Alderweireld: Tottenham sign Atletico Madrid defender". BBC Sport. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
28. Hytner, David (9 August 2016). "Tottenham's head of recruitment quits after dream job turns into nightmare". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
29. Hytner, David (13 December 2016). "Tottenham make Paul Mitchell serve notice in recruitment hardball". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
30. "Dele Alli talent spotter Paul Mitchell joins RB Leipzig". Bundesliga. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
31. "Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all chasing Paul Mitchell". Sky Sports News. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
32. Magowan, Alistair (19 December 2018). "Man Utd director of football: Is Paul Mitchell the ideal candidate and how will role work?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
33. Burt, Jason (14 January 2019). "Red Bull to offer Paul Mitchell role as head of global football as Manchester United step up search for technical director". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
34. "Paul Mitchell: Former Tottenham and Southampton director of recruitment joins Monaco". Sky Sports. 17 June 2020.
35. Devin, Eric (22 July 2020). "Monaco look to a former Spurs and Southampton scout for stability". The Guardian.
36. "Paul Mitchell". 11v11.com. 11v11. Retrieved 27 May 2019.

External links

• Paul Mitchell at Soccerbase
• Profile at MK Dons official site