Newcastle identify 42-year-old director as top target to replace Dan Ashworth

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Newcastle United look to have identified who would be their ideal candidate to replace Dan Ashworth as they hope to speed up the progress of his departure.

It was announced last month that Ashworth would be leaving Newcastle who were hoping to squeeze £20m out of Man United in compensation, but they may be willing to compromise on that.

As reported by The Telegraph, Newcastle want to bring in a new director as soon as possible ahead of a busy summer and have identified former Tottenham and Southampton man Paul Mitchell as their number one target.

Newcastle find their Ashworth replacement

Initially it was believed that Newcastle would be willing to wait as long as it was needed to prevent Ashworth from working for one of their direct Premier League rivals with his gardening leave lasting 20 months.

However, they also recognise the importance of making decisions quickly ahead of what will be a pivotal summer transfer window, so would be willing to come to a compromise with the Red Devils.

There are a number of candidates who could replace the former Brighton and England man, but it is Paul Mitchell who Newcastle like most having admired the work he’s done at several European clubs.

Currently, it is CEO Darren Eales who is taking up the role of key negotiator, but there is a power vacuum at the top of the club that needs to be fixed immediately, and Mitchell is thought to be the best man for the job.

Mitchell has impressive track record that will impress Newcastle

Mitchell has spent a lot of time around Europe working for Southampton, Tottenham, RB Leipzig and most recently AS Monaco where he left his role as sporting director a year ago.

The 42-year-old helped to uncover talents like Sadio Mane, Heung-Min Son and Matheus Cunha, so it’s safe to say that Newcastle fans will already be getting excited about the prospect of a new director.

Ashworth won’t be an easy man to replace given how highly he was obviously regarded by Newcastle’s owners, but if someone like Mitchell is looking to stay in the North East for the long-term then there’s no reason why the club can’t be successful.

Mitchell comes with a proven track record around Europe and is one of the finest candidate in his line of work, combine that with the exciting project at Newcastle and you’re sure to see positive results.