PROUD OF MY BUYS

Howe defends his record

- SIMON BIRD

EDDIE HOWE insists he is "proud" of all his transfer dealings at Newcastle in the wake of claims made by new sporting director Paul Mitchell.

Mitchell, who was appointed in July, said the club's scouting set up was "not fit for purpose", lacked clear strategy for the last five years and some of the deals struck for players by the Saudi ownership had been "overpriced".

But boss Howe (inset, top), who has yet to speak to Mitchell (inset, bottom) since his controversial interview two weeks ago, says he "takes ownership" of all the deals he helped strike when he was at the centre of rebuilding a club which rose from relegation zone to Champions League.