Newcastle United’s appointment of Dan Ashworth as their sporting director was a pivotal moment in the club’s new era under their Saudi Arabian owners.
Ashworth has built up a wealth of knowledge during his time in professional football, which will prove invaluable to the Magpies’ hopes of success in the future.
He has been credited with playing a huge role in Brighton’s recent progression after helping them become an astute player in the transfer market.
Ashworth has been tasked with bringing the same mode of operation to St James Park, and his efforts have already started to pay dividends.
A key element of Ashworth’s responsibilities is to identify the next wave of talent which the club can develop and turn into first team stars.
The Republic of Ireland has proved to be an unlikely hunting ground for Ashworth – as evidenced by Brighton’s acquisition of striker Evan Ferguson in 2021.
He has made rapid progress with the Seagulls, becoming the scourge of online bookmakers with his goalscoring exploits for the south coast club.
Fans who love sports betting in Ireland have bagged several meaty payouts on the back of Ferguson’s goals and will be hoping to secure many more over the coming years.
His recent hat-trick against Newcastle saw the bookies run for cover, with his pre-season odds to be the Premier League’s top scorer halved after the game.
Irish sports bettors will undoubtedly be keeping an eye on developments at Newcastle, with Ashworth overseeing the arrival of several promising talents from the Emerald Isle.
We look at three young Irish talents who will be eager to make their mark at Newcastle, starting with one who embarked on an unusual journey to arrive in the north east.
Cathal Heffernan
Cathal Heffernan made his senior debut for Cork City in 2021 before being invited to train with Juventus, AC Milan, Atalanta and Roma.
Milan subsequently joined Milan on loan in January 2022 and completed a permanent move to the Serie A giants the following summer.
He was snapped up by Newcastle during the recent transfer window and featured in two pre-season friendlies for the under-21 side last month.
The defender has represented the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels and has been tipped to step up into the senior squad in the next couple of years.
Reece Byrne
Reece Byrne rejected advances from Liverpool to sign for Newcastle from Bohemian FC and has his sights set on becoming the club’s number one goalkeeper.
The teenager will compete with Jude Smith for a starting spot with Ben Dawson’s U21 side this season, but has ambitions to be a regular Premier League starter.
Bryne showed maturity beyond his years at youth level, featuring for St Joseph’s U14 side in Madrid against professional academies as an 11-year-old.
He crossed swords with Ferguson during their time in Ireland and will be hoping to renew rivalries with the striker in the English top flight.
Alex Murphy
Alex Murphy joined Newcastle from Galway United last year and showed enough promise to be handed opportunities to train with the first team.
In addition to featuring in a 5-0 friendly victory over Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal in December 2022, the young defender also captained Newcastle’s U21 team.
Murphy made his first senior start in a 2–0 victory over Fiorentina during pre-season and has been tipped to feature in League Cup games this season.
The teenager recently received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad for their 2025 UEFA European Championship qualification fixtures against Turkey and San Marino.