18 February 2024 , 02:00
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Life moves fast in the world of football.
One minute Dan Ashworth is the brains and power behind a Saudi football revolution at St James’s Park. Now linked with a move to Old Trafford, he’s a dispensable cog in the system who will be remembered for spending £54m on Sandro Tonali, the big summer deal, without knowing he was a gambling addict about to be banned for ten months.
Even Eddie Howe got in on the act, intentionally or not, describing Ashworth’s influence at Newcastle during his brief spell in charge by saying: “When you are in that role you need longevity to see the fruits of your labour. The people who have done it best have had a period of stability.”
Howe then added that the new regime’s most successful window was his first (without Ashworth) when Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier arrived adding: “Biggest thing he did was not change anything. We just carried on as normal.”
Ashworth has clearly calculated that the Man United project is a better one than Newcastle’s. Bigger budget, more real power, bigger global sports brand and greater chance of landing a trophy.
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Given that Newcastle now class themselves as direct rivals, questions have to be asked as to why has Ashworth not been marched out St James’ Park. Howe is worried about the level of “intelligence and information” Ashworth could defect with.
He will know the summer transfer targets. He will know where the potential bargains are, where the good release clauses are around Europe, and how much cash the toon have to rival Man United.
At most other multi-million pound businesses Ashworth would have had his company laptop taken off him and told to stay at home. He should be wary of opening any attachments from Riyadh in the coming days! It’s a delicate balance pretending it is business as usual, extracting maximum compensation from Man United, and losing your transfer secrets.
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