Dan Ashworth is reportedly set to sign a four-year contract with Newcastle United.
That’s according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who has provided an update on the Magpies’ move for the 50-year-old.
Ashworth recently left his role at Brighton and Hove Albion, resigning after being offered a similar role at another Premier League club.
It has been widely reported that the club in question is Newcastle, who were first linked with him late last year.
The new Toon owners have been looking for a director of football to lead the ambitious new project at St James’ Park, and appear to have landed on Ashworth.
The only issue left to overcome appears to be compensation, with the Athletic recently stating that the Magpies need to put a package together to get Ashworth early. Otherwise he’ll have to see out his gardening leave following his Seagulls departure.
Ashworth is coming to Newcastle – it’s just a matter of when, not if.
Dan Ashworth to be Newcastle technical director
It’s been unclear what Ashworth’s title at Newcastle will be. Will he be director of football? Or will he be a sporting director?
Well, according to Romano, his title will be ‘technical director’. He adds that he’ll sign a four-year deal, and is already identifying summer targets.
This is incredibly exciting for the club. Ashworth is hugely respected in the game, especially for his work with the FA where he played a key role in the development of international football for England.
He’s also done well at Brighton, identifying players who fit the style manager Graham Potter wants to play. Ashworth will have a similar job at Newcastle, but on a much larger budget.
The project at St James’ Park is wildly ambitious. The new owners want to take Newcastle to the top of the footballing pyramid, and to do that they need the right people in place.
Ashworth seems like he could be a landmark appointment. He can shape the direction of the club in the coming years.
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