CRAIG HOPE: In 60 seconds at his press conference, Eddie Howe showed why he must remain king at Newcastle as he batted away questions about sporting director Paul Mitchell

Eddie Howe is the smartest man in the building at St James’ Park. It is mind-bogglingly stupid that the head coach should have to defend himself against comments made by the club’s new director.

This is the same sporting director who, in the nine days following a controversial interview in which he questioned the transfer activities of Howe and others, has not spoken to the manager to provide context and reassurance.

And so Howe answered questions on Friday morning about his relationship with Paul Mitchell, whose last communication with him was through the media. The club had had to replace the sponsor board background with a washing line and dirty linen.

Howe would rather be talking about football. But right now his tactical approach isn’t confined to the pitch. He’s handled it expertly, batting away sledgehammer questions like “is there a civil war?” — in response to a Mail Sport headline — and picking his shots carefully.

When he was given an underarmer after a few minutes about how good it was that Mitchell had spoken publicly, the brevity of his response was telling. He did not mention Mitchell by name, saying only that it was good that others were communicating about finance.

Howe was clever in the way he answered questions about Paul Mitchell

But when Mail Sport pressed Howe about Mitchell’s claim that the club’s transfer strategy was ‘not fit for purpose’ ahead of his arrival this summer, he had clearly been expecting the delivery. There was a pause and a breath before he said: ‘I have a few thoughts about it.’

For almost a minute – a much longer answer than usual – he fiercely defended his transfer history, and rightly so, given that Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon were bought for less than £200m.

“We can hold our heads high,” Howe said. “I’ve felt responsible for all those signings. They’ve been brilliant signings. We love them dearly.”

Mitchell is undoubtedly correct in saying that there needs to be evolution in terms of recruiting practices. But to do so by calling the current setup primitive felt unnecessarily antagonistic. Howe’s own cousin, Andy, is a big part of the scouting department.

What did Mitchell mean when he said there was no clear transfer strategy at the club?

“That’s for Paul to answer,” Howe said. “The scouting structure was there and whatever you think of the structure, I thought the results were very good.”

But Mitchell’s claim that he played only a “supporting role” in recruitment this summer has caused the most internal irritation. He led negotiations during Crystal Palace’s failed pursuit of Marc Guehi and was on the ground for the final two months of the window.

Howe was asked if he was the one overseeing the transfers. ‘I don’t think it’s right to make individual comments in response to Paul’s press conference,’ he said. ‘I don’t think that will improve our current situation. It’s best for me to focus on the future.’

Newcastle have made a number of impressive signings while Howe was at the club, including Alexander Isak

The first summer under CEO Darren Eales was like a return to the Mike Ashley era

Newcastle failed to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi

What does the future hold? Chief executive Darren Eales asked the Saudi owners for the keys to the kingdom earlier this year, and so began the departure of co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi.

But his first summer in charge has been a throwback to the Mike Ashley era, with claims, counterclaims, tension and unrest. Eales has formed a close bond with Mitchell and together they are going to do things their way. But if that alienates the head coach, then the club’s Saudi owners need to take greater care to protect their most valuable asset.

Howe wants to stay. He wants to be happy. He wants the relationship with Mitchell and Eales to work. He is open to change and spoke positively about the new performance director James Bunce, who has changed the training programme. If that benefits Howe and his team, he will be receptive to it.

What he probably won’t welcome is another transfer window like the last one, and press conferences cleaning up the messes of others. Howe is too smart for that and it’s high time his club caught up.