Dan Ashworth confirmed as gardening director

[UlversToon]

Placed on gardening leave until 2025 apparently and £15m being "demanded" from Manure.

[Don Sholeone]

This guy is an absolute prick. I'd leave him on gardening leave and demand £50m just so he knows what it's like to waste everybody's time, knew exactly what he was getting into, knew its a long term project and he's dipping out after barely 2 years. Should have just turned down the role if he was after something bigger.

Doing this could set us back in terms of rebuilding the infrastructure by 12-18 months potentially so I'll be pretty annoyed if we do him any favours on this.

[UlversToon]

The guy certainly spends a lot of time on gardening leave, must have a bloody big garden!

[bodacious benny]

The guy certainly spends a lot of time on gardening leave, must have a bloody big garden!

It's not a good look for him, but will he care? You'd think Man U are doubling his salary, and maybe the job here is going to take longer than he initially thought due to the league taking every opportunity to roadblock us. Whatever way the club try to spin this though, this is a blow and would not have been foreseen in their plans in any way. Yes, the infrastructure has improved and things have been set in motion since his arrival, but there is still so much to be done that he'd have been central too.

But Man U better hope Man C don't come after him one day, if they offer him more he'll jump at it seemingly.

[Remember Colo]

I don't necessarily imagine his decision has anything to do with us. We can pretend we represent the best project on earth, but the reality is that we will never have the reach or potential resources Man U do, and given the neglect of their infrastructure and structure for the past couple decades, they too represent a project a director can sink their teeth into - but with commercial potential we won't likely be able to offer. I'm hardly ever going to judge someone for moving on from a job after ~2 years, as much as it is really disruptive to us. And I say this otherwise hating Man U, but I won't ignore where they stand among the global football industry.

[Don Sholeone]

I think he's shown a complete lack of integrity. For a director of football to seemingly just bounce around from job to job in relatively quick succession is not a good look at all. It's not like it's a player with limited career/opportunities. The bloke is obviously well regarded for his abilities so opportunities will always be there for him. I think the right thing to do would be have to negotiated with the club to work a notice period of a similar length to his gardening leave, end of the day we can allegedly keep him out of football for nearly 2 years. Why not say ill continue to work for the next 18-24 months on the agreement that we can amicably end the time with us.

For him to just drop it pretty much out of the blue is completely unacceptable and unprofessional for someone in such a role.

[bodacious benny]

Do we hold people in football roles in different regard to those in other businesses (football is a business now unfortunately). If a manager / director at my work came and went in 18 months it would be slightly surprising, but it happens. Why should people in football roles be any different? Man Utd are a bigger club in every aspect to us and can blow us out of the water financially, they’re presumably offering him a big carrot to join them. Most of us would happily jump ship in the same circumstance.

(Playing devils advocate here),

[Cal]

A better job offer has come up at a company where he'll have the backing of his mates, and it's the kind of opportunity that doesn't come around very often. Yeah it doesn't look great to job hop at that level, but he's got the chance to rebuild a giant without anywhere near the same FFP shackles we have to deal with.

I think he's shown a complete lack of integrity. For a director of football to seemingly just bounce around from job to job in relatively quick succession is not a good look at all. It's not like it's a player with limited career/opportunities. The bloke is obviously well regarded for his abilities so opportunities will always be there for him. I think the right thing to do would be have to negotiated with the club to work a notice period of a similar length to his gardening leave, end of the day we can allegedly keep him out of football for nearly 2 years. Why not say ill continue to work for the next 18-24 months on the agreement that we can amicably end the time with us.

For him to just drop it pretty much out of the blue is completely unacceptable and unprofessional for someone in such a role.

I'd presume that he did give notice to the club, and the club chose to exercise their right to put him on gardening leave for his notice periods / the remainder of his contract - whether that's the original term or if it is bought out by Man Utd.

We don't want to give that kind of ongoing access to someone who has agreed to operate in a similar role at a direct competitor, but at the same time there's more value in paying his salary to deprive a competitor than there is in cutting him loose early.

[Remember Colo]

A better job offer has come up at a company where he'll have the backing of his mates, and it's the kind of opportunity that doesn't come around very often. Yeah it doesn't look great to job hop at that level, but he's got the chance to rebuild a giant without anywhere near the same FFP shackles we have to deal with.

I think he's shown a complete lack of integrity. For a director of football to seemingly just bounce around from job to job in relatively quick succession is not a good look at all. It's not like it's a player with limited career/opportunities. The bloke is obviously well regarded for his abilities so opportunities will always be there for him. I think the right thing to do would be have to negotiated with the club to work a notice period of a similar length to his gardening leave, end of the day we can allegedly keep him out of football for nearly 2 years. Why not say ill continue to work for the next 18-24 months on the agreement that we can amicably end the time with us.

For him to just drop it pretty much out of the blue is completely unacceptable and unprofessional for someone in such a role.

I'd presume that he did give notice to the club, and the club chose to exercise their right to put him on gardening leave for his notice periods / the remainder of his contract - whether that's the original term or if it is bought out by Man Utd.

We don't want to give that kind of ongoing access to someone who has agreed to operate in a similar role at a direct competitor, but at the same time there's more value in paying his salary to deprive a competitor than there is in cutting him loose early.

I also imagine it was in Man U's interest to be able to announce the hire as soon as possible and minimize criticism for not having a plan in place. So that my well have informed how they negotiated with him, and subsequently how Newcastle negotiated his garden leave. Everyone but Man U would have had a semblance of leverage.

[Don Sholeone]

According to the journos the club was basically the last to know about the interest from Man Utd. The whole approach has been so unprofessional.

Also sounds like the club are exercising their right to make this process as difficult as possible for Man Utd and Ashworth.

[NoteToSelf]

Sad to see him go, but I don't blame him.
When I changed jobs I didn't notify my previous employer until I had the offer agreed and signed, then gave my notice period. In terms of effective change - there's a lot of room for improvement and investment at Man Utd. They'll be offering a significant salary package, and it's a hell of a thing to put on the CV.

That said...they had a Director of Football (DoF) before. A pretty well respected one in Ralf Rangnick (I'd disregard his management results; with that squad situation he had for the second half of the season he was always going to struggle). The board axed him because Erik Ten Haag didn't want to work with a DoF.

An acknowledgement that EtH is expected to be shown the door, or has he capitulated on that front?

[Valentino's fast feet]

Sad to see him go, but I don't blame him.
When I changed jobs I didn't notify my previous employer until I had the offer agreed and signed, then gave my notice period. In terms of effective change - there's a lot of room for improvement and investment at Man Utd. They'll be offering a significant salary package, and it's a hell of a thing to put on the CV.

That said...they had a Director of Football (DoF) before. A pretty well respected one in Ralf Rangnick (I'd disregard his management results; with that squad situation he had for the second half of the season he was always going to struggle). The board axed him because Erik Ten Haag didn't want to work with a DoF.

An acknowledgement that EtH is expected to be shown the door, or has he capitulated on that front?

Is that the case? I presumed they axed him because he wasn't doing a good job and had one foot out the door with Austria. Always seemed to me that ETH was Rangnick's choice, worked together before in he same roles. I believe Rangnick gave ten Haag his first managerial role, in fact. I don't think Rangnick was ever actually dof during his time at Man U, just interim manager, with the mandate to bring in his replacement then move upstairs.

[overseasTOON]

Dan can now roll and aerate the lawn before spreading out some spring time fertiliser and moss killer so it's ready for the first mow of the year come the middle of March.

It'll be lovely, lush and green.

[lassassinblanc]

Good article in Athletic all about Ashworth and what his role was

SpoilerShow

Dan Ashworth is still being paid by Newcastle United, yet the sporting director is no longer playing an active role in the running of the club and has been placed on gardening leave.

Manchester United’s public courtship eventually led to Ashworth informing Newcastle on Sunday of his intention to depart St James’ Park for Old Trafford. That is despite no official approach from Manchester United having been made — one is anticipated soon — and negotiations over compensation and the length of the notice period Ashworth will serve have not yet commenced.

So what happens now? What has Ashworth achieved in a season and a half on Tyneside? What have his relationships with head coach Eddie Howe and the owners been like? Where does all this leave Newcastle, and what will they do next?

Follow the latest Manchester United news with The Athletic

Manchester United will make ‘fresh decision’ on Mason Greenwood
Dan Ashworth taking on ‘ultimate challenge’ if he joins Manchester United
Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Manchester United, Old Trafford, Sheikh Jassim and Mason Greenwood: Full transcript
Why is Ashworth leaving Newcastle?
A quote Ashworth gave about why he joined Newcastle from Brighton & Hove Albion feels relevant here.

“Sometimes in life, an opportunity comes along where you just go, ‘Blimey, it’s just too good to turn down’,” Ashworth said in October 2022, insisting he “wasn’t looking for a job” before he was headhunted. “I want to be a sporting director competing in Europe, for trophies, at the top of the league. And I really enjoy building; that really excited me.”

Few, if any, other opportunities would have tempted Ashworth to leave just 20 months into his remodelling of Newcastle, but industry insiders have long suspected the 52-year-old was animated by the prospect of being the person who could return Manchester United to former glories.

Sir Dave Brailsford, incoming minority owner INEOS’ director of sport, who is playing a key role in the reshaping of Manchester United, has known Ashworth since 2016. The pair worked together at the Football Association (FA) and have kept in touch, with Brailsford even being invited into Newcastle’s pre-season training camp in Portugal in 2022 by Ashworth to speak about elite mindset and performance.

The vision outlined by Brailsford, coupled with the impressive coup of luring Omar Berrada as chief executive from rivals Manchester City, appealed to Ashworth, who is an ambitious administrator. With his family home still in the West Midlands and his son, Zac, currently playing as a defender for Bolton Wanderers (on loan from West Bromwich Albion), being closer to both is thought to have appealed.

It is not that Ashworth was actively seeking to leave Newcastle — even if there are soundings that the sporting director was, at times, frustrated by the scope of his control relative to the position he thought he was assuming — he just could not resist the lure of this Manchester United rebuild.

What happens now he’s been put on ‘gardening leave’?
Ashworth remains under contract at Newcastle, is being paid in full and will do so until his extended notice period — which is believed to be more than 18 months — comes to an end, unless Manchester United reach an agreement to release him from that deal early.

Although Ashworth is still receiving his salary, as of Sunday he is no longer playing an active role, will not have access to his work computer or offices, and is no longer going to be privy to information circulated internally, including in recruitment meetings and plans for the academy, training ground and stadium.

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How the saga has played out publicly over the past week has caused irritation inside St James’ Park, and there is a determination not to merely hand over their sporting director to a rival club without adequate recompense. It was Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, the husband and wife co-owners, who negotiated Ashworth’s contract with a long gardening-leave period — he was the first executive hire, before even Darren Eales, the chief executive, was in position — to protect the club in scenarios just like this. Newcastle therefore feel they hold a strong negotiating hand.

Newcastle want as much as £20million ($25.2m) before they will consider cutting short Ashworth’s notice period — which would, in turn, help with their determination to remain compliant with the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). Even then, some senior voices at Newcastle are keen for a starting date at Manchester United beyond the close of this year’s summer transfer window at the earliest.

Manchester United are willing to be patient, given they view Ashworth as a long-term appointment, and do not intend to be pressured into paying what they view as an unrealistic sum to get him sooner.

That is the stance of both sides as they seek to enter discussions. Legal wrangling cannot be ruled out, either.



What has Ashworth achieved at Newcastle?
A decent amount, considering he has been there less than two years.

Essentially, his job has been to shape the overall footballing vision. While Eales heads the off-field area of the business, the sporting side is very much Ashworth’s domain and he has set about ensuring Newcastle have the means to deliver an “attacking, winning brand of football, to get supporters inspired and excited”.

The sporting director conducted a six-month audit of the club once he arrived then presented his findings to the board, having listened to Newcastle’s heads of department to find out what they believed needed to change before acting.

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He established a host of new departments, viewing himself as the “centre of the wheel” containing nine spokes (more than in any of his previous roles at West Brom, the FA or Brighton): men’s first team, women’s first team, player recruitment, loans, academy, medical and sports science, analysis, psychology and mental wellbeing, and football operations.

There has been a modernisation of Newcastle from top to bottom, an upgrading of the academy, the integration of the women’s team into the club and then turning them into a professional outfit, a bolstering of previous skeleton-staff levels across the board, and the introduction of new departments and fresh senior roles, such as recruiting Dr Ian Mitchell, their first head of psychology, last October.

Ashworth, alongside Staveley and Ghodoussi, also oversaw a £10million upgrade of the training ground, while his expertise has been offered as the club search for a site to build a new state-of-the-art facility that could house the men’s and women’s teams, and the academy.

Qualification for the Champions League also came at the end of Ashworth’s first full season, less than 18 months after Newcastle were in the Premier League’s relegation zone. That, however, was primarily masterminded by head coach Howe extracting a dramatic improvement from his squad.

While Ashworth has also overseen expenditure of around £300million during his four transfer windows — including the impressive additions of Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak, the latter a club-record £60m signing, and the much-discussed deal to bring Sandro Tonali from AC Milan — Howe has been the most prominent voice in recruitment decisions, and not all of those acquisitions were led or concluded by the sporting director.


Tonali is suspended until the summer for breaching rules on gambling (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The academy and recruitment departments are prime examples of Ashworth’s impact.

Both were previously funded and staffed at levels far below the Premier League average; they have swelled over the past two seasons, with the number of academy personnel growing by around 50 per cent and the budget increasing substantially. The scouting operation has been bolstered with additions including Paul Midgley, the head of youth recruitment, and Marcel Bout, a senior scout, plus the introduction of new roles such as position-specific analysts and the appointment of talent-spotters across the world, including in South America and eastern Europe.

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Even so, the transformation of Newcastle into an elite sporting institution is far from complete.

Howe describes the sporting director role as requiring “longevity to actually see the fruits of your labour”, yet Ashworth is leaving with the reconstruction still in its infancy.

What has his relationship with the ownership been like?
There has been an admiration for Ashworth and the job he has done.

The relationship, though, has always been more of the professional line of communication kind, rather than mirroring the close bond Howe has established with the British-based members of the club’s hierarchy.

Executives at rival clubs have spotted that Ashworth has tended to be detached from Staveley, Ghodoussi and co-owner Jamie Reuben during matches. He often has lunch with them beforehand but then positions himself elsewhere during play, seemingly to focus on the action, given how crucial it is to his role. Ashworth has been almost ever-present at Newcastle matches, home and away, alongside Eales, as their home-based owners tend to be.

What’s more, Ashworth was headhunted for the Newcastle role by Nolan Partners, the recruitment firm, during an exhaustive process. So convinced were the owners by Ashworth’s suitability that they accepted waiting almost four months into his period of gardening leave before then paying multi-million-pound compensation to extract him from Brighton.

Still, there has been tension, at times, caused by the delineation of duties, partly due to Ashworth arriving eight months after the Saudi Arabia-led takeover, meaning part of the remit he assumed had previously been overseen by the other owners.

Staveley and Ghodoussi held the management contract to run Newcastle during the first year post-takeover and were extremely hands-on, involved in transfers and building direct lines of communication with Howe and players, which have been maintained. The Gordon transfer in January last year was handled by Staveley, at his then club Everton’s request, and she also finalised the new contract Bruno Guimaraes signed in October.

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If Ashworth expected no involvement from above, that has not been the case, even if he was given the power to make significant changes. He, like some others at Newcastle, is said to have found the process-driven nature of decision-making at the top of the club — Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the 80 per cent majority owner — frustrating at times.

Interestingly, Ashworth travelled to Saudi early last month and is thought to have strengthened relations with figures at PIF, including Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the club’s chairman. Seemingly, Ashworth was still considering himself a long-term employee at Newcastle at that stage and was looking to solidify those relationships.

Newcastle have been grateful for Ashworth’s diligence and were not looking to part ways before Manchester United’s approach. There is a feeling, however, that he is not irreplaceable and, while the owners do not want to lose him without adequate compensation, they have not made decisive moves to ensure he stays in the same way they did when Kieran Trippier was courted by Bayern Munich during the recent winter transfer window.

There is not thought to have been an offer of an improved contract to Ashworth, or a promise of greater scope within which to work, to try to persuade him to stay. No falling-out took place, even if relations fractured last week as the saga unfolded, but this has not felt an inevitable parting of ways, just an opportunity Ashworth was keen to accept.

What has his relationship with Howe been like?
Very similar to the one Ashworth has had with the owners.

On a day-to-day level, he and Howe have worked well together and acted in tandem as part of Newcastle’s transfer committee.

Both showed respect for one another, with Ashworth having previously identified Howe as a future England manager when he was the sporting director at the FA. They share the same fundamental principles about playing style, with a preference for attacking and technical football, and have envisioned growing the club together.


Ashworth and Howe have been key figures in Newcastle’s revival (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Yet Newcastle were effectively built backwards following the takeover. Coach Howe came first, then sporting director Ashworth and then CEO Eales. Relationships had already been established between Howe and the owners, and that has led to a blurring of responsibilities and moments of agitation.

That first post-takeover transfer window in January 2022 allowed Howe to establish a power base, when he was essentially doubling as head coach and almost as a de facto director of football. Andy Howe had followed his uncle from the coach’s previous club Bournemouth to become head of first-team technical scouting before Ashworth joined and became another influential voice in transfer dealings.

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Ashworth is thought to be closer to Steve Nickson, the head of recruitment, than Eddie Howe is, while the head coach trusts his nephew. They are not split into camps and do work collegiately, but there have been suggestions that Ashworth thought he would have greater control over transfer decision-making. Head coach Howe retains the final say on incomings and he has never fully relinquished the control of transfer policy which he held during that first window, even if Ashworth has pursued and then ratified the deals as sporting director.

There has also been frustration among the coaching staff over Ashworth’s equivocation throughout the winter. His failure to commit his future to Newcastle, even privately, or admit that he wanted to join Manchester United, created uncertainty during an already fraught window, given the club’s PSR position.

Fundamentally, though, Howe and Ashworth have operated positively together, especially given the latter did not appoint the former — which is the conventional order of how things should work in football — and the coach was not involved in the selection of the sporting director.

That splintered last week, though, and Howe did not try to hide his exasperation with the situation during his press conference previewing Saturday’s match against Bournemouth. There were even undertones of criticism about Ashworth’s impact, with Howe referring to the club’s best transfer window being before the sporting director was in situ. Following that media briefing, Ashworth’s position felt close to untenable and, even if he was at the Bournemouth game, he confirmed his intention to leave the day after.

How much of a relationship has Ashworth had with the players?
Ashworth has been a visible presence at the training ground — his fondness for turtle-neck jumpers has often been commented on by players — splitting his time between his office there and one at St James’ Park. He has regularly interacted with players, Howe and other staff at the Benton facility, and travelled with Newcastle to Austria, Portugal, the U.S., Saudi and Dubai on pre-season tours and for mid-season camps.

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Renowned for his use of PowerPoint presentations, Ashworth regularly greets new signings with such visuals, as well as videos, outlining the history of the club, the internal philosophy, and why they have been brought to Tyneside. The sporting director also likes to introduce himself to prospective recruits in person at an early stage, flying to Spain’s Basque country to court Real Sociedad striker Isak in August 2022 and to Italy to try to lure Tonali from AC Milan last June.

When news of Tonali’s gambling broke in October, Ashworth was the first senior figure inside the club to become aware of it and the sporting director held direct lines of communication with the midfielder. These have been maintained, with Ashworth helping establish a programme for Tonali’s wellbeing, as well as a return-to-play schedule for this August.

Have there been any things he hasn’t done so well?
There is widespread appreciation within the club for Ashworth, though his greatest strength is also arguably, on occasion, a weakness. Rather than being a specialist in recruitment or any other area, Ashworth ensures he has the best people below him running each department and empowers them to succeed. That ability to delegate means he can come across to some as more of an administrator at times.

Although Ashworth has started the modernisation process at Newcastle, their scouting processes still rely on visual reports from their talent-spotters. Clubs including Brighton, Brentford and Liverpool are more data-driven and, in the view of some within the industry, therefore more reliable. There are figures within Newcastle who would like to see a speedier transition to this approach to recruitment, with a recognition that, although opinion-based scouting has largely worked well post-takeover, scientific methodology would be more dependable, given the club cannot afford to make costly mistakes in a PSR world.

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Perhaps the largest stain on Ashworth’s Newcastle tenure will be the Tonali saga.

Insiders remain adamant Newcastle simply could not have known about the player’s betting habit before they spent £55million to bring him to England last summer. Yet Ashworth felt forced to conduct an internal investigation into Newcastle’s recruitment and due-diligence processes, including scrutinising his own contributions, and sought reassurance from sporting directors at other clubs. Regardless, given the value of the deal and the subsequent impact Tonali’s 10-month suspension has had on Newcastle’s season, Ashworth will continue to be questioned about ratifying it.

The final Newcastle match Ashworth was in attendance for will also harm his legacy when it comes to squad-building. With Isak and fellow striker Callum Wilson both out injured, Gordon, Jacob Murphy and Barnes were used as makeshift centre-forwards.

The depth of Newcastle’s player pool has proven questionable this season, albeit during an unprecedented injury crisis.

What will Newcastle lose with him going?
The man Ghodoussi described as “creating the structure” and putting in place “the right foundations”. Ashworth was handpicked precisely because he was seen as the ideal club-builder.

While their sporting director has established the structure, he departs just 20 months into a cycle which he previously suggested would ideally stretch for around five or six years. Given that there was almost a blank setup when he arrived, perhaps Ashworth foresaw it taking even longer than that, considering the ambition is for Newcastle to reach “number one”, according to Al-Rumayyan, not just to tick along as a stable Premier League club.

Ashworth has overseen just two of the three summer transfer windows he briefed staff it would require to fully overhaul the squad. A significant revamp is expected at the end of this season, both for incomings and outgoings, and Ashworth would have supervised that.

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While many inside Newcastle are confident that, day to day, nothing will change now that Ashworth is on leave, and that a suitable replacement can be found, others worry some of the foundations will not be built upon in the way intended.

But Ashworth’s own philosophy is that if he has done his job successfully, the operation should function regardless of changes in personnel, even at the sporting director level.

That theory is about to be tested.

go-deeper
GO DEEPER

Why Manchester United want Dan Ashworth

How involved has he been in transfers?
Interestingly, some who have worked with Ashworth before suggest his knack for spotting talent is often overstated. He was not recruited by Newcastle to scout players but to aid with negotiating deals.

Nickson leads the recruitment department, while Andy Howe also identifies players and offers an opinion during transfer meetings, and both speak to agents and clubs, something Ashworth has also done. Eddie Howe retains the final say on all senior incomings, yet it is Ashworth who has ratified and concluded many deals.

Under Ashworth, in a bid to help the club become self-sustainable, Newcastle have focused on bolstering their youth recruitment. Although he has not led on the identification of youngsters such as Garang Kuol, Yankuba Minteh and Alfie Harrison, Ashworth did try to raise the quality of player at the academy level.

“We have to find ways of investing in potential, not performance,” he said in October 2022. “That’s the key difference.”

What does it mean for this summer, transfers and contracts?
Head coach Howe is adamant the “recruitment processes never sleep and are unchanged” and others at the club are very relaxed about the impact of all this upon transfers.

Still, there has been a desire from certain figures for Ashworth’s situation to be resolved either way, so that long-term planning can continue with greater certainty. The indecision was seen by insiders as unhelpful ahead of a vital summer.

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As mentioned above, a revamp of the squad is anticipated; partly because of Newcastle’s PSR standing, which may lead to the sale of at least one key first-team player, partly due to the high age of some players, as well as the need to further improve depth below the starting XI.

Ironically, if Newcastle receive compensation for Ashworth then it will aid their PSR standing, at least to a small degree. Still, Guimaraes may depart, as could Joelinton, who is entering the final year of his contract, though Eddie Howe is determined to retain Isak and Sven Botman.

Recruitment work will continue regardless of Ashworth’s impending departure — the sporting director hosted many of Newcastle’s scouts on Tyneside over the weekend, which was inopportune — with Nickson and Andy Howe leading the identification of players. Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall, his senior assistant, are then involved in the narrowing-down process, with the head coach determining the final targets.

“The biggest thing he did was not change anything,” Howe said on Friday when asked about Ashworth’s approach to recruitment once he joined the club. “We just carried on as normal and our recruitment will continue exactly the same way.”

Although there is a lot of truth to Howe’s answer, it is wrong to suggest Ashworth did not play an active role in transfers. So, if Ashworth’s replacement does not arrive in the interim, Howe may resume a more hands-on approach to transfers.

Staveley and Ghodoussi, who oversaw negotiations during that first post-takeover window, will remain prominent. Nick Hammond, the former Celtic and Reading director of football, provided advice as a temporary transfer consultant in January 2022. Eales also has experience with transfer dealings from his time as president of an MLS title-winning side at Atlanta United six years ago.

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When it comes to contract negotiations, Ashworth has led those, too, at least initially. He was involved in Howe’s extension during the summer of 2022, as well as new deals for Fabian Schar, Lewis Miley and Miguel Almiron. However, following the stalling of talks with Guimaraes, the owners intervened and a contract which included a reported £100million release clause was agreed.

Even before Ashworth decided to leave, Staveley and Ghodoussi were set to take over discussions with Joelinton, which had also reached an impasse.

Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi
Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi have played an active role in player negotiations (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
How will they replace Ashworth? Have the priorities changed from when he arrived?
At Brighton, Ashworth had a natural replacement in situ when he was poached by Newcastle, with the south coast club having promoted David Weir to the position of assistant technical director. Although succession planning is part of a sporting director’s scope, it is unclear who would follow Ashworth as an internal appointment at Newcastle.

The reality appears to be that even those at the very top of the club are pondering what comes next.

It is not so much the identity of the next sporting director they must consider first, rather what precise brief they want that person to fulfil. Ashworth was the club-builder, but do they feel that, with the foundations in place, they can pivot towards someone with more of a speciality? That is what they must consider.

“We are naturally disappointed that Dan has chosen to leave,” Eales said. “However, our exciting journey doesn’t stop and the process to recruit a new sporting director will begin immediately.”

Already, Bournemouth’s Richard Hughes, who has worked with Eddie Howe previously, has been linked, but several sources have played down those ideas. The same too for Michael Edwards, formerly of Liverpool, whose approach Howe admires, and who he knows from their time as colleagues at Portsmouth in the early 2000s. Brentford’s director of football Phil Giles has previously been linked, and is a boyhood Newcastle fan.

For now, such rumours appear premature.

Newcastle are unlikely to rush into an appointment and are expected to determine what is required from their next sporting director before they decide who that is going to be.

(Top photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

[bodacious benny]

So looks like we're getting £21m for Dan Ashworth - puts him in our top 10 of all time transfer fees received

[Cal]

So looks like we're getting £21m for Dan Ashworth - puts him in our top 10 of all time transfer fees received

Maybe this was all part of the FFP plan all along...

[overseasTOON]

Note to Dan. I mowed the lawn and rolled it again today. Weather permitting I might crack on with weeding the borders.

Thinking of scarifying and overseeding towards the end of the month as a heads up.

[seaside nipper]

Note to Dan. I mowed the lawn and rolled it again today. Weather permitting I might crack on with weeding the borders.

Thinking of scarifying and overseeding towards the end of the month as a heads up.

I assume you’ve carried out the hollow tine and coring aeration works ? Interested to know what you did with the core piles.

[Chappy]

https://www.skysports.com/football/live ... eblog-body

'Ashworth to take Newcastle to arbitration over Man Utd move'

Dan Ashworth is set to take Newcastle to arbitration to help facilitate his move to Manchester United, according to The Athletic.

Newcastle placed the 53-year-old on gardening leave in February after he told the club he wanted to leave following an approach from Man Utd.

But both clubs are yet to agree a compensation package.

The report claims Newcastle are seeking as much as £20m for Ashworth, but with United unwilling to meet that figure the matter is now on course to be decided by a third party.

The case will reportedly start in May and take a number of weeks.

[lassassinblanc]

Read this earlier, how much did we pay for him?

Also I suppose how much and long was his contract with us?