Liverpool remain on the lookout for a new sporting director after Julian Ward announced he would be leaving the Reds at the end of the season back in November.
Having only succeeded Michael Edwards last summer, it means his time in the role will last just one season. During that time, Liverpool have signed Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho, Calvin Ramsay, and Cody Gakpo.
Recent reports have suggested that the AS Monaco sporting director could be the man to replace Ward at the end of the season, after it was alleged he attended the Reds’ home clash with Southampton prior to the World Cup.
READ MORE: Who is Paul Mitchell? The man tipped to replace Julian Ward at Liverpool
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Having first served as head of recruitment at MK Dons under former Liverpool coach Karl Robinson, Mitchell has since been in the same role at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and RB Leipzig, before joining Monaco as sporting director in 2020 after a stint as Red Bull's global football technical director. As a result of that C.V., it’s easy to speculate why he could be a front-runner to succeed Ward, if such reports are accurate.
Responsible for a number of big-name signings in his time, including the likes of future Liverpool players Sadio Mane, Dejan Lovren, and Nathaniel Clyne, we take a look at some of his transfer hits and misses…
SOUTHAMPTON
HIT: Jay Rodriguez (£7m from Burnley, June 2012)
Signed from Burnley for £7m, a 17-goal season in 2013/14 saw him called up by England before injuring his ACL a few months before the 2014 World Cup.
Would never reach such heights again, but was still sold for a profit to West Bromwich Albion for £12m in July 2017.
MISS: Gaston Ramirez (£12m from Bologna, August 2012)
Was seen as a transfer coup after impressing for Bologna in Serie A and Uruguay at the Olympics.
Linked with Liverpool at the time but joined Southampton. Ultimately struggled in England and was sent on loan to Hull City before joining Middlesbrough on a Bosman transfer after a successful loan to the Championship.
HIT: Dejan Lovren (£8.5m from Lyon, June 2013)
Signed for £8.5m from Lyon, he would spent just one season at St. Mary's but impressed enough to earn a £20m move to Liverpool.
Kopites might have mixed memories about his time at Anfield but it was terrific business by Southampton.
HIT: Dusan Tadic (£10.9m from FC Twente, July 2013)
Never showed his best form at St. Mary's but still returned 24 goals from 162 appearances over four seasons.
Now starring for Ajax, recording goals and assists at a ridiculous rate, leading Jurgen Klopp to admit he wished he had signed the Serbian earlier in his career.
HIT: Victor Wanyama (£12.5m from Celtic, July 2013)
Also signed by Mitchell for Tottenham Hotspur, Wanyama showed his best form at Southampton.
Made 97 appearances across three seasons before leaving for Spurs in an £11m deal in June 2016.
HIT: Graziano Pelle (£8m from Feyenoord, July 2014)
Reunited with Ronald Koeman and scored an impressive 30 goals from 81 appearances across two seasons at St. Mary's.
However, the Italy international was a surprise exit when he left Southampton for Chinese side Shandong Luneng in a £12m deal in July 2016. Said to have earned £350k a week in China, such a deal reportedly made him the world's seventh-highest paid player.
MISS: Dani Osvaldo (£15m from AS Roma, August 2013)
A shambolic signing, he made just 13 appearances for Southampton, scoring three goals, as he struggled to adapt to English football.
Was suspended by Southampton in January 2014 for allegedly starting a fight with team-mate Jose Fonte in training. Didn't play for the club again and his contract was terminated the following July.
HIT: Sadio Mane (£10m from Red Bull Salzburg, August 2014)
The Liverpool legend needs no introduction to Reds fans, having won every honour at Anfield after they signed him from Southampton for £34m in June 2016.
Had scored an impressive 25 goals from 75 games in two seasons with Southampton, hitting double-figures in the Premier League in both campaigns, while also scoring the division's fastest-ever hat-trick against Aston Villa. Sold for a big profit.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
HIT: Toby Alderweireld (Loan from Atletico Madrid, September 2014, and £11.4m from Atletico Madrid, July 2015)
Another player signed twice by Mitchell, Alderweireld impressed in a year on loan at Southampton before the sporting director helped lure him to Tottenham following his own move to White Hart Lane.
Made 236 appearances for Spurs, scoring nine times, during an eye-catching six-year stay in the capital.
HIT: Dele Alli, (£5m from MK Dons, February 2015)
Long before becoming an Everton flop, Dele was the next big thing when Tottenham signed him for £5m from Mitchell's former club, MK Dons.
Seeing off interest from Liverpool, he initially shone for Spurs and was twice named PFA Young Player of the Year before his performances tailed off. Scored 67 goals from 269 appearances across six and a half seasons before being offloaded.
HIT: Kieran Trippier (£3.5m from Burnley, June 2015)
Having impressed for Burnley in the Championship, helping them win promotion before putting in an ever-present campaign in their first season back in the Premier League, Trippier was signed by Spurs for just £3.5m in June 2015.
He'd initially serve as understudy to Kyle Walker, before cementing his place as first-choice during his final two seasons with the club. Made his last appearance in the Champions League final loss to Liverpool before being sold to Atletico Madrid for over £20m.
MISS: Clinton N'Jie (£8.3m from Lyon, August 2015)
Signed for £8.3m from Lyon but struggled to settle in England. Only made eight appearances in the Premier League, all of them as a substitute.
Was loaned to Marseille in August 2016 after just one year before being sold at a loss.
HIT: Son Heung-min (£22m from Bayer Leverkusen, August 2015)
An inspired signing, Son joined Spurs in a £22m deal from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015.
Endured a slow first season in England but hasn't looked back since. Boasts 137 goals from 351 appearances and shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah last season.
MISS: Vincent Janssen (£17m from AZ Alkmaar, July 2016)
Scored just two Premier League goals after his £17m move from AZ Alkmaar, though can boast six in all competitions for Spurs.
Loaned to Fenerbahce after just one season, he was frozen out for the majority of the 2018/19 season after returning to Tottenham before leaving for Mexican side Monterrey.
RB LEIPZIG
HIT: Nordi Mukiele (£14m from Montpellier, May 2018)
Made 146 appearances in four seasons for RB Leipzig after joining from Montpellier, and was handed a France debut in September 2021 too.
Not sold for a profit, with Leipzig essentially just making their money back for the 25-year-old, but returned to his homeland to join French giants PSG.
MISS: Emile Smith-Rowe (Loan from Arsenal, January 2019)
Might have shone for Arsenal last season before injury disrupted him, but his loan to RB Leipzig did not work out.
Joined them in January 2019 but, still recovering from a groin injury, would make only three substitute appearances totalling just 28 minutes.
AS MONACO
MISS: Myron Boadu (£14.9m from AZ Alkmaar, August 2021)
Signed after two prolific season with AZ Alkmaar, the 22-year-old has ultimately struggled in France.
Only scored six goals from 42 appearances last season, and, with injuries disrupting his current campaign, he's scored once from seven substitute appearances this year.
HIT: Breel Embolo (£10.5m from Borussia Monchengladbach, July 2022)
A £10.5m signing from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer, Embolo is enjoying a fine season in France.
Has scored 10 goals from 19 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco, with his overall record standing at 11 goals from 27 appearances.
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