DAN DEAL IS WORTH THE WAIT
NEWCASTLE UNITED will be hoping their long wait for new sporting director Dan Ashworth will see the Toon come up smelling of roses.
The club’s Saudi Arabia-backed hierarchy believe that 51-year-old Ashworth – the former FA director of elite development who has since helped transform Brighton’s fortunes – is worth the lengthy battle to extricate him from the south coast.
But a dispute over compensation – believed to be around £3million – has seen Brighton place Ashworth on gardening leave while he completes his notice period, said to be nine months.
Even though Newcastle see him as an integral part of their ambitious plans, they have so far shown little inclination to come anywhere near that level of compensation payout.
If the stand-off continues then it means Ashworth will officially not be involved in talks about the important summer transfer window, though it might be naive to suggest his views would not be known to the Toon decision-makers.
Three Lions head coach Gareth Southgate is an admirer, and Brighton owner Tony Bloom (left) admitted to being “extremely disappointed” when Ashworth succumbed to ambitious Newcastle’s overtures.
At a UEFA and FIFA technical conference shortly after the 2018 World Cup, Southgate said: “I told Dan he should feel very proud.
“We have walked in as world champions at Under-17s and Under-20s level and we’ve been to the seniors semi-final, so we deserve our place at the table.”
Since then a European Championship final has been added to the list of Three Lions success, founded on the England DNA Ashworth helped to create in his FA role between 2012 and 2018.
But it was Peterborough’s director of football Barry Fry who was the first to spot Ashworth’s potential.
“More than 20 years ago I employed Dan as academy and Under-18s manager and I am very proud of what he has achieved since,” Fry said.
“It was no surprise when he ended up with the FA.
“What he achieved was miraculous considering the
England failures of the previous years.”