19 February 2024 , 22:00
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There is a clear message from Newcastle over the Dan Ashworth to Manchester United affair: They won’t be pushed around by a club they hope to rival in the next few years.
It can feel like paranoia and conspiracy when Newcastle and their fans talk about a 'Big Six Cartel' rigging the Premier League rules - mainly of a financial nature - to suit their own continued dominance and exclude upstart disruptors like the Saudi owned Geordies. But there’s a big element of truth in it.
Man United are part of the established elite who want to restrict Saudi spending through Profit and Sustainability Rules. So don’t expect Newcastle to roll over easily now Ashworth has told them he wants to go to Old Trafford.
Taking Newcastle’s business and transfer secrets and his organisational wheel, if not every spoke, won’t come cheap. Newcastle are determined to play hardball over Ashworth’s defection as long as possible.
Either serve a 20-month period of gardening leave, or Man United have to pay up big time. And the price is rising. They are unlikely to be able to reverse the process, and probably don’t even want to know he’s said he wants to go.
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It is hard to have much sympathy for Newcastle because this is football. They themselves poached Ashworth from Brighton after three months gardening leave, paying £4m compensation. But Ashworth has only been in his current job 20 months, hardly any time to measure any progress, and well short of his preferred "six year cycle" in jobs.
While the Ashworth affair does little to strengthen Newcastle as an organisation, there is one main beneficiary… Eddie Howe. The head coach will now be even more influential, and key, to the summer transfer business. Ashworth leaving means Howe, whose side is wobbling in the league with just 11 points from the last 11 games, and 19 goals conceded in the last seven, is strengthened.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has turned Ashworth's head but will have to stump up the cash for his services (PA)Howe made some key points when reacting to the Ashworth developments, including pointing out that Newcastle’s best transfer window of the Saudi ownership era was the first. He worked extra hard alongside Head of Recruitment Steve Nickson, and owner Amanda Staveley, to get Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes, two of the club’s best ever signings for about £50m.
Howe has always spoken of the strong support and relationship he has with the ownership group when discussing transfers. Howe said of Nickson: “He's an important part of our recruitment. When we came initially in that January window, he was very important to me and the coaching team in terms of identifying targets and to make sure that first window was a real success. He does a lot of work behind the scenes."
And Howe hinted that United’s “structures,” in seeking new talent, have remained unchanged. He added: “We’re still working the same way that we were in the first transfer window. Our recruitment has been very good, and I’m including the summer, because I think those deals will come good for the club in the long term. So that won’t be affected.”
Certainly, it is an unexpected boost for the Toon boss.
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