What Dan Ashworth’s appointment means for Newcastle as ex-England chief faces crunch start

Dan Ashworth’s resignation as Brighton’s technical director earlier this month sparked rumours of a move to Newcastle after the Magpies failed to bring in Marc Overmars as their transfer guru. And with reports now claiming that the 50-year-old is set to move to St James’ Park, there is a lot in store for him to deal with on Tyneside.

Ashworth, who started his career at Norwich, retired from football after failing to make it as a professional.

He became academy director at Peterborough United in 2000, before taking charge of then-Premier League side West Brom’s centre of excellence aged just 33.

A rollercoaster career in the Midlands saw him stay at the Baggies for eight years, where his superb work saw the club record a tenth-placed finish in his final season as boss. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before the FA came swooping in, and Ashworth was offered a job in England’s new “DNA” set-up.

He left in September 2018 to link up with Graham Potter at Brighton, where he oversaw the signings of Tariq Lamptey, Adam Webster, Neal Maupay and Marc Cucurella.

Working with Potter, he helped establish a fast-paced attacking brand of football at Brighton, which could be an indicator of how Newcastle could play in the future if he ends up joining the club.

With the only young talents at Newcastle in the first-team picture being Bruno Guimaraes, Allan Saint-Maximin and Joe Willock, it is likely Ashworth will look to bring in a plethora of young, hungry players as seen in his time at the Seagulls.

His eventual appointment will also see him entrusted with the first big ‘transfer kitty’ that the Magpies will have to spend.

It was estimated that they could have spent £190million in January before FFP became an issue.

And having only spent around £90m in the winter, there is at least £100m to spend in pre-season.

“I know it was a tough decision for him but these things happen in football, as they do in all professions with sought-after individuals, so we now move on.

“Thankfully we are a well-run club that doesn’t rely on one person, as important as they are, and now David Weir will step into the role in the interim period.

“It’s a natural progression for David and I have huge confidence in him because he’s a fantastic and very knowledgeable guy.”