Eddie Howe does not appear to be shedding any tears over Dan Ashworth’s Newcastle United exit.
The Toon sporting director looks set to wave goodbye to St James’ Park, having been put on gardening leave by the club amid interest from Manchester United.
Dan Ashworth is going to be on his way to Old Trafford, but it is unclear when. That will all depend on how much compensation the Red Devils are willing to pay, with Newcastle looking for around £20million.
In truth, that is a staggering amount for a behind the scenes figure, but it is good to see Toon officials not rolling over and just succumbing to Man United’s demands.
Ashworth’s departure will lead to a reshuffle behind the scenes, as the club search for a replacement for a man they did not expect to have to replace for a long time.
It has come as a major surprise to see Ashworth heading towards the exit, and the manner of the approach from Man United has angered the Newcastle owners.
They will be disappointed to see Ashworth go, but it does not sound like Eddie Howe is too fussed.
How Eddie Howe feels about Dan Ashworth leaving Newcastle
According to iNews, they believe that Newcastle manager Howe is nonplussed by the news that Ashworth is going to be leaving his role on Tyneside.
They add that Howe is hoping to have more say when it comes to recruitment under the new model, as Newcastle look to hire a new sporting director.
It is interesting to hear that Howe is not too bothered about Ashworth leaving. It suggests that they did not have a massively close relationship, or that they rarely got in each other’s way – so much so that it makes no difference to Howe that he is on his way out.
Whether or not Howe has a say on who replaces Ashworth remains to be seen, but one man who it won’t be is Michael Edwards – despite the former Liverpool chief being a friend of the Newcastle manager.
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