Newcastle United hopeful of Dan Ashworth boost as director of football appointment draws closer

Newcastle United are hoping to appoint Dan Ashworth as the club’s sporting director ahead of the summer transfer window.
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Appointing Ashworth in a key strategic role at the club will be a welcome boost ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

As reported by Mail Online, negotiations between Brighton and Newcastle to release Ashworth from his gardening leave have now reopened.

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Ashworth stepped down as Brighton’s technical director in February and will be appointed in a ‘similar role’ at St James’s Park.

Dan Ashworth during his time with England's National Football Team.  (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)Dan Ashworth during his time with England's National Football Team.  (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Dan Ashworth during his time with England's National Football Team. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

But a troublesome notice period until November 2022 has prevented The Magpies from formally appointing the 51-year-old, who also has experience working at West Bromwich Albion and the Football Association.

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Brighton were initially asking for a £5million payout for Newcastle to appoint Ashworth ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, but now the clubs are understood to be close to reaching an agreement.

That will allow Ashworth to be appointed as early as next week and give the club a clear strategy and direction heading into the new season.

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In many ways, he could prove to be Newcastle's most important signing of the summer.

While the club has made great strides on the pitch since the takeover, the off-field progress has been limited without an established sporting director in place.

Ashworth’s success in helping establish Brighton as a well-run Premier League outfit on a modest budget makes him the perfect candidate to help transform Newcastle in all areas behind the scenes.

Head coach Eddie Howe, who had to take on many ‘sporting director responsibilities’ during his first season in charge at St James’s Park, has also cited Ashworth’s appointment as ‘a matter of urgency’ ahead of the new season as he hopes to refine his workload to focus on first team coaching.

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“We have a lot of improving to do behind the scenes to get to be the club we want to be," said the Magpies boss.

And Ashworth will be pivotal in doing that while also playing a significant role in the club’s recruitment strategy and academy development by negotiating deals and liaising with agents.

While Ashworth won’t transform Newcastle’s recruitment strategy or transfer targets ahead of the window opening on June 10, his presence at the club could be the difference needed to get some players 'over the line’.

On field performance is ultimately the most important factor at a football club, but it is those building blocks behind the scenes that will help Newcastle compete consistently at the top level.

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While Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi are already reasonably hands on in their roles at the football club, they lack the footballing experience Ashworth can provide as he will help bridge the gap between players, staff and the club’s hierarchy.

“The connection from the boardroom onto the pitch is important,” Ashworth previously told Training Ground Guru when discussing the sporting director role. “Every club has a CEO and chairman - and budgets, philosophies and principles - and it’s really important we get that across, whether it’s club values or maximising the budget and making sure we’re spending the money in the right way.”

Ashworth’s role at Newcastle is being viewed as a long-term one, with the aim of helping the club establish itself as a key player in European football once again.

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