Interview

Paul Mitchell (AS Monaco): “We belong on the podium”

Paul-Mitchell-AS-Monaco
Paul Mitchell spoke at length to the press at La Turbie on Thursday morning (Photo © AS Monaco)

AS Monaco’s sporting director spoke at length this Thursday morning in a roundtable interview at the club’s Performance Centre in La Turbie.

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What led you to choose Thiago Scuro as your successor? 

We obviously did a very stringent interview process, we looked at multiple people with multiple profiles. Thiago is someone that I do know. I was fortunate to work with him at Red Bull in the years that I was there, and through that interview process, he became the lead candidate. As we built all of the structure, we’ve got a really solid platform across all the areas of performance in AS Monaco and Cercle Bruges, we need a different skillset; maybe a softer skillset. He has great managerial skills to bring the club to the next level, but also he has a different type of management style that can be different and new and fresh and that after three years he’s probably what the organisation needs as well.

How are you managing the transition?

I’m comfortable with the transition part. He has to lead. He has to come to the first day and be the leader. It won’t be me, but I’ll support him, use my experience, my network to help him. I will share my experience of working in France and Belgium with him. Then, I’ll hand everything over to him at the time when the president feels he’s happy with that. But Thiago Scuro definitely will be the leader.

When will he arrive in Monaco?

He’s going to be here on the 30th of June or the 1st of July. The international mercato opens after that. He’s very fortunate because he has Western Europe exposure to markets thanks to Salzburg. He knows the style, the necessities, and the needs of the club. He also has an unbelievable network in South America. I will still be proactive here until the mercato opens and until he arrives. No holidays for me this year, unfortunately.

The new sporting director needs to work with the new coach and have confidence in each other

When will you be leaving the club?

We haven’t defined the time. It is complicated for me and for the club, but we want continuity, stability, and consistency. I said to the president: I’m here for as long as they need me.

Was it his decision to change sporting director?

I think both. We always had a beautiful relationship even in the moments when we disagreed. Football is an opinion-based sports and it’s normal that we disagree… We agreed checking with each other. I’m not rushed. I want to help the best I can as long as I am here.

Are you involved in the process to recruit the new coach?

I’m here to give my opinion, yes. I still have lot of personal and emotional commitment to what we’ve done here. I would voice my opinion even if they didn’t want it. In the end, the new sporting director needs to work with the new coach and have confidence in each other.

When will he be officially appointed?

It’s better to get the right one at the right time without rushing. We want to get the best coach possible and push ourselves to back where we deserve to be, in the top three.

What profiles are studied?

While you can link my and Thiago Scuro’s history to Red bull, it won’t be like that. We will look long and far across all markets. Thiago Scuro and the president want to have success next year.

We have seen a lot of interest from people out of jobs but also with jobs. The number of people that showed interest also shows the status of the club on the market now.

Have you already drawn up a list of profiles?

We have seen a lot of interest from people out of jobs but also with jobs. The number of people that showed interest also shows the status of the club on the market now.

Is Marcelo Gallardo on this list?

Hiring coaches is always complicated. The best I can say we have a lot of respect for Marcelo and the work he did at Riva Plate during the eight seasons. But there’re a lot of exciting people who expressed interest in this job.

Do you think it’s important for coaches to be able to speak French?

I don’t think so. Football is multicultural. And did all best Monaco coaches speak French?

How do you explain your sixth-place finish in Ligue 1 this season?

It was an unusually long season, not least because of the World Cup. We were on a good run before the second leg against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League. Then we lost on penalties and things became more complicated. We gradually lost sight of the podium and the Champions League. The team just couldn’t regroup. We’re disappointed. It’s the coach who leads the team, but this year we all have to take a collective responsibility, including me.

Could things have been different if the team had been made up of more experienced players?

It’s complicated. Monaco offers many pleasures. Temptations are everywhere. I don’t think it’s a question of the young or the old. Strong personalities sometimes clash with coaches. It’s not easy finding a player that is a good match for Monaco.

Was it your decision to sack Philippe Clement?

I have a big say like with everything and I consult with the owner and the board, which is a normal practice. At the end, it was my assessment. It wasn’t easy. He did a lot of good things…

We have to focus on the defensive side, because we concede too many goals. But we also need to leave space for growth for our young players.

Was this the best solution in your opinion?

Teams are getting younger and younger, but here we still do have an ambition which needs to coexist with player development. I saw that the team disconnected, became very individualistic… there was no other choice. We have big ambitions at AS Monaco. We want a guaranteed Champions League place. We have talented players and we need to make sure they win matches.

What mercato can we expect and which jobs will be targeted this summer?

We have to focus on the defensive side, because we concede too many goals. But we also need to leave space for growth for our young players. Team defence is a whole-team responsibility, so we want to strengthen the team. As I said our president is super ambitious. It’ll be Thiago Scuro’s first season and he wants to be super ambitious too. When the players are back, they’ll have one objective in mind: to be where we belong – on the podium.

Can ASM spend money?

In a measured way. We will do it strategically and moderately to make the team stronger. We’ll reduce the debt because we’ll play fewer competitions.

Will Wissam Ben Yedder still be with the club when it resumes?

He has got another year of contract, but he also needs to go away for the summer and do some thinking.

After three years, how would you assess your work?

I was hired at a time when the club was in real distress. I was hired to rebuild all of that from the ground up. It’s been complicated, but I feel with all the results until the last six weeks, we have massive milestones like the Gambardella Cup. Would’ve I liked to see the club in the Champions League? Yes, I would’ve. But in the context that I was employed to do – to bring us to a competitive level – I achieved the objectives.