Ashworth was never handed keys to Toon kingdom – but can he unlock United’s potential?
WHEN Dan Ashworth gave his opening speech to Newcastle’s recruitment team at a hotel overlooking the River Tyne, he told them he would not be at the club for ever.
There was, he said, an optimal period for a sporting director to do his work before leaving with his processes in place. But neither he nor anyone connected to Newcastle believed that time would come just 20 months later.
The truth is, Ashworth’s work at St James’ Park is not done. Far from it, in fact. And that, in part, is one of the reasons he will likely leave for Manchester United.
What Ashworth hoped to implement at Newcastle will take longer than he expected, and some of what he had hoped to influence has been beyond his control. He has not been handed the keys to the kingdom.
Rather, they will forever reside in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where we can reveal Ashworth attended meetings with the club’s majority owners at the start of last month.
There, it is likely he was asked about his own future, given Mail Sport reported before Christmas that the 52-year-old was expected to become Manchester United’s new sporting director, once Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos deal was ratified. He is close to Dave Brailsford — Ineos director of sport — and a formal approach is now being prepared and expected within St James’ Park.
But why would Ashworth want to go? It is important to state that, to our knowledge, there has been no fall-out and all relations remain good, even if there is a desire among Newcastle’s hierarchy to avoid a period of prolonged speculation.
If Manchester United want him, they need to knock at the front door. When that approach comes, we expect Ashworth will tell his employers he wishes to go.
It is thought Newcastle would demand compensation in excess of £6million and insist on a period of gardening leave of up to a year. Their preference would be for him to remain but an agreement is now likely to be reached as early as next week.
At Old Trafford, sources say, Ashworth would have far greater control. There is the lure of an increased salary, being closer to home and, significantly, the draw of being the man charged with realigning the biggest club in the world.
Those are the pull factors, but what about the push? It all comes back to autonomy. Ashworth uses an analogy about being ‘the man at the centre of the wheel, connecting the spokes of the different departments’. At Newcastle, however, there is more than one wheel, and all roads lead back to Riyadh.
Decision-making at the club is ‘process driven’ and very little is signed off without the say-so of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. This can often take weeks. Sources also say there are ‘blurred lines’ over the original plans and remit to which Ashworth signed up when joining from Brighton in the summer of 2022.
There are also the UK-based owners — Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Jamie Reuben. Again, sources insist Ashworth has a good relationship with all concerned, but his approach to business is measured, whereas others can sometimes be led by emotion, even if well intended.
With Eddie Howe, meanwhile, Ashworth is not part of the manager’s inner circle. That is not to suggest friction — they get on well and there is mutual respect — but that is just how Howe has always operated. Along with coaches Jason Tindall, Stephen Purches, Graeme Jones and nephew Andy Howe — head of technical scouting — he has a close-knit group in which he confides. Ashworth arrived eight months after the head coach and the chain of command was already established.
Howe has the final say on transfers and, contrary to wider belief, Ashworth is not a talent-spotter. Rather, he oversees recruitment and negotiates and concludes deals. At Newcastle, his focus has been as much on revamping the scouting network, from academy to first team, both domestically and globally.
But the backdrop of his efforts have been financial fair play rules and the frustration of a strict limit on spending, evidenced by a January window in which Newcastle made no signings. For Ashworth, there will be a realisation that progress at Old Trafford, by comparison, would be accelerated.
Ironically, we understand there are scouting meetings on Tyneside this week, with foreign scouts flying in for debriefs and planning summits led by Ashworth. They usually have a group meal the night before attending a home game, and Newcastle host Bournemouth on Saturday.
For those present, it could well have the feel of the Last Supper.