Newcastle may have dodged a £35m mistake after Eddie Howe rejected Paul Mitchell’s alternative to Marc Guehi.

Last summer, it strongly felt like Newcastle United’s transfer plan was “Marc Guehi or nothing” — and that’s essentially what happened, aside from signing Lloyd Kelly on a free and spending £15m on Will Osula.

Neither Lloyd Kelly nor Will Osula made a real impact on Newcastle’s first team. Kelly was moved on just six months after arriving, while Osula was always seen as a long-term project. So when the Marc Guehi deal collapsed, it essentially felt like Newcastle had walked away from the summer window with nothing.

Paul Mitchell, newly appointed at the club, proposed Jean-Clair Todibo as an alternative to Guehi. Despite being a player Newcastle had previously scouted, they never pursued him seriously.

According to TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Eddie Howe outright rejected Todibo. The French defender eventually joined West Ham on loan and has since signed permanently for £35 million. Crook noted that Newcastle’s coaching staff had serious reservations about Todibo’s character after background checks, and believed avoiding the deal may have been a blessing in disguise.

This early disagreement may have set the tone for Mitchell’s strained start at Newcastle. Despite Todibo’s name coming up even before Mitchell joined, it was clear the player didn’t align with Howe’s strict squad culture. Now, Todibo is West Ham’s responsibility, while Newcastle continue their search for a long-term partner for Sven Botman.