Newcastle targeting 54-year-old chief scout as experienced replacement for Dan Ashworth

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There’s now another new name on the list of potential Dan Ashworth replacements for Newcastle United.

Ashworth’s move to Manchester United is yet to be completed, but Newcastle are keen to find a swift replacement for the sporting director ahead of the summer window.

The likes of Paul Mitchell and Tiago Pinto having been considered in the last few weeks, but there is another experienced name who could also be targeted.

A new report from TEAMtalk claims that Newcastle are keeping close tabs on former Chelsea chief scout Scott McLachlan to take over Ashworth’s role.

Newcastle eye highly rated scout with Premier League experience

McLachlan spent 11 years at Stamford Bridge, helping them to win a number of trophies during his time there including the Champions League and Premier League before leaving in 2022 after the takeover.

McLachlan is understood to have been in charge of Chelsea’s international scouting programme where he successfully found some top talents to bring to the club, and that’s the expertise Newcastle would be hoping he could bring to them.

Having already established himself in the league, the 54-year-old may have some key contacts who could help to elevate Newcastle as a club, and giving him more control in this director role may help to persuade him to join.

It’s unclear if he would be suited to a sporting director position at the club, but his experience and understanding of the game would be key to replacing Ashworth at Newcastle.

Newcastle taking their time with Ashworth replacement

It’s been over a month now since Ashworth announced he wanted to leave Newcastle and although they want to find a swift replacement, it’s very important to find the right candidate for the job.

Given Newcastle’s wealth, there are a number of experienced figures who have already put their name forwards for the job, so it’s going to be difficult to seek out who is best suited to it.

What will be key is if they can manage to hire a new man before the summer window to give him as much time as possible to prepare for what could be the biggest transfer window in the club’s recent history.

Whoever it is will have to be very smart in the way they operate with Newcastle’s limited spending power, so some key players may have to be moved on to make room for new faces.