It’s unclear just when Dan Ashworth will join Man Utd, but time for Newcastle United to move on and find a suitable replacement after he was placed on gardening leave.
It is frustrating to lose a key member of staff who was supposed to be a central figure in this ‘long-term project’. However, I have little doubt that there’ll be a long list of hugely capable alternatives keen to play a big role in this exciting project.
On the subject of replacements, Mark Douglas at the i revealed last week that an unnamed sporting director with Champions League pedigree and a proven track record has already made his interest known.
A host of highly-rated operators expected to put their names forward and three names have already been mentioned; Paul Mitchell, Tiago Pinto and Phil Giles.
Mitchell left Monaco in October last year and is currently a free agent. He was linked with the Man Utd job before they moved for Ashworth and is known for his impressive recruitment record, seeing him bring Kieran Trippier and Heung-Min Son to Spurs, sign Sadio Mane for Southampton from RB Salzburg and bring Christopher Nkunku to Leipzig; a gem at £12m as he went on to bag 70 goals and 56 assists in 172 appearances for the Germans.
Another out-of-work option highlighted by the i is Tiago Pinto. He is Roma’s former director of football and worked impressively within tight FFP restrictions during his time with the Serie A side.
Giles certainly feels like one to watch. He was born and raised in Newcastle, remains a lifelong Toon fan and comes from a family of Newcastle supporters, most of whom still live in the North East. That only means to much, but he has overseen huge improvements at Brentford, helping transform them from a mid-table Championship side to a solid Premier League outfit during his eight and a half years at the club.
He was linked with a potential move to St James’ Park in early January and is thought to have admirers on Tyneside, although Douglas has stated that Newcastle are likely to ‘lean less on personalities and more on process’ in their search for Ashworth’s replacement.
I’d be happy with promoting Steve Nickson the best transfer windows this club have had in years is when he was heading the transfer committee just after the takeover. From Tripps, Bruno to Pope and Botman absolute quality and no question marks as far as youth signed for the academy.
Porkpie(Quote)