Manchester United have made Dan Ashworth their No 1 target in the search for a new sporting director.
Ashworth, 52, currently performs the same role at Newcastle United but it appears Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have identified the man they want to oversee recruitment at Old Trafford.
Mail Sport reported on Wednesday that United and Newcastle are expected to reach an agreement over Ashworth by early next week. Old Trafford chiefs are preparing a formal approach for the sporting director and a swift conclusion is the preference of all parties.
Ashworth comes with a strong reputation for identifying talented players form his work at Brighton and then Newcastle in the past five years.
We take a close look at each of their signings under his leadership and whether they worked out.
Manchester United have made Newcastle’s sporting director Dan Ashworth their No 1 target for the same post at Old Trafford
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent buy-out of Man United was finally approved by the Premier League on Tuesday and appointing a sporting director is a top priority
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
After leaving his post as the Football Association’s director of elite development, Ashworth began a technical director role at Brighton in Spring 2019.
2019-20 SEASON
Alexis Mac Allister – A superb success story for Brighton’s scouting network after the midfielder was signed from Argentinos Juniors in his homeland. After two loan spells, Mac Allister quickly established himself a fundamental part of Brighton’s team and they made a handsome profit when the World Cup winner was sold to Liverpool for £55million last summer. HIT
Leandro Trossard – An astute signing from Genk in Belgium who impressed over the course of three seasons at the Amex, scoring 25 goals and supplying 14 assists. Didn’t leave on the best of terms after falling out with Roberto De Zerbi as he joined Arsenal for £27m. HIT
Adam Webster – Brighton broke their transfer record to buy £20m Webster from Championship side Bristol City in 2019. Wasted no time in establishing himself at the heart of Brighton’s defence and was rewarded with a bumper five-year contract when Ben White left for Arsenal in 2021. Has fallen out of favour with De Zerbi this season. HIT
Alexis Mac Allister takes on Manchester United while playing for Brighton last season before his £55million move to Liverpool
Leandro Trossard proved another successful signing for Brighton before moving to Arsenal
Neal Maupay – The French striker cost £20m to sign from Brentford after he impressed in the Championship. Scored a reasonable number of goals for Brighton with 27 in 109 games over three seasons but did suffer long goal droughts and wasn’t afraid to stir up controversy. Joined Everton for £15m in 2022. HIT (to a certain extent)
Aaron Mooy – The Australian was signed for £5m having been on loan from Huddersfield. Stayed briefly then went off to Shanghai SIPG in China. MISS
Tariq Lamptey – Signed as a 19-year-old from Chelsea for £5m and was really impressive from the outset surging down Brighton’s right flank before a hamstring injury in December 2020 stalled his progress. Injury struggles would sadly become a theme for the Ghana international but he’s still been a good signing. HIT
Tariq Lamptey has struggled with injuries but could yet prove to be a £5m Brighton bargain
2020-21 SEASON
Adam Lallana – Cost Brighton nothing when signed from Liverpool and his experience has proved very handy in midfielder across 79 games for them. Now 35, Lallana continues to play regularly for De Zerbi’s side. HIT
Jan Paul van Hecke – Arriving during the Covid pandemic from NAC Breda in his native Netherlands, Van Hecke was loaned out twice before making his Brighton breakthrough. Has been a regular starter at centre-back this season having extended his contract last summer. HIT
Reda Khadra – Youngster brought in from Borussia Dortmund’s second team, Khadra played just once for Brighton, was loaned out three times, and now plays for Reims in France. MISS
Joel Veltman – The Netherlands international was a bargain signing from Ajax who has earned admiration for his levels of consistency over 128 matches for Brighton at right-back and centre-back. Was voted player of the season by Albion supporters in 2021-22 and also signed a new contract last summer. HIT
Adam Lallana cost Brighton nothing but the 35-year-old has proved a very useful signing
Andi Zeqiri – The Switzerland international forward made only a handful of appearances for the Seagulls after arriving from Lausanne for £3.5m. Spent much of his time at the club out on loan and joined Genk last September. MISS
Michal Karbownik – Polish full-back who only made two appearances before going out on five different loan spells and is now in Germany with Hertha Berlin. MISS
Jakub Moder – This Pole enjoyed much better fortunes, at least initially. Moder played regularly during the 2021-22 season before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury which kept him sidelined for all of last season. The 24-year-old is finally back in action and hoping to get his career on track. JURY’S OUT
Danny Welbeck – The erstwhile England international came in from Watford on a free in October 2020. Initially on a one-year deal, Welbeck is still with the club having scored 22 goals and set up a further 13 in 109 appearances. Scoring in a 3-1 away win at old club Man United back in September was another sweet moment. HIT
Danny Welbeck in action against his former club during Brighton’s 3-1 victory at Old Trafford
Evan Ferguson – Another brilliant success for Brighton’s scouting team, albeit closer to home. Ferguson was playing first-team football for Bohemians in Ireland when he was only 14 and his progress since has been impressive. Last season saw a breakthrough with 10 goals in 25 games and United are among the clubs linked with him. HIT
Moises Caicedo – A textbook example of how to unearth a gem of a footballer, polish them up a bit and sell them on for a mammoth profit. Caicedo cost Brighton just £4.5m to sign from Independiente del Valle in his native Ecuador in February 2021 and after basically one full season of Premier League football was sold to Chelsea for £115m. HIT
Evan Ferguson, who was playing senior football in Ireland, has proved a superb purchase
Moises Caicedo was bought by Brighton for just £4.5m and sold to Chelsea for £115m
2021-22 SEASON
Jeremy Sarmiento – Another Ecuador international, albeit born in Madrid, Sarmiento was signed into Brighton’s academy from Benfica. Emerged into the first team under Graham Potter in the 2021-22 campaign and has spent this season on loan at first West Brom and currently Ipswich to gain experience. Has promise. JURY’S OUT
Enock Mwepu – The Zambian midfielder, signed from Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg, struggled with injuries and illness but had started to make a positive impact at Brighton before the diagnosis of a rare hereditary heart condition forced him to retire from football in October 2022.
Kaoru Mitoma – Another good example of the net being cast wide with Mitoma signed from Kawasaki Frontale in his native Japan. After a season on loan in Belgium with Union Saint-Gilloise, Mitoma did really well last season in English football with 10 goals. Has scored three times so far in the present campaign. HIT
Kaoru Mitoma was talent spotted by Brighton scouts in Japan and now scores regularly
Marc Cucurella – Another excellent bit of business. Cucurella joined from Getafe in Spain for about £15m in August 2021 and after just one very good season was off to Chelsea for £62m within 12 months. Really, how he performs at Stamford Bridge isn’t Brighton’s concern. HIT
Abdallah Sima – Forward signed from Slavia Prague but has yet to feature for Brighton having been loaned to Stoke, Angers and Rangers. JURY’S OUT
Kacper Kozłowski – Brighton fans haven’t seen anything of the 20-year-old Polish midfielder yet as he’s been out on loan to sister club Union SG in Belgium and two spells with Vitesse in the Netherlands. JURY’S OUT
Deniz Undav – Eight goals in 30 outings for the forward last season after he scored at a prodigious rate for Union SG. Is currently enjoying a very productive loan spell with Stuttgart but it remains to be seen if Brighton have space for him permanently. JURY’S OUT
The signing of Marc Cucurella also delivered a handsome profit for the south coast club
NEWCASTLE UNITED
In February 2022, Ashworth took up the position of sporting director at Newcastle United. It was a statement of intent by Newcastle just months after their Saudi takeover and Ashworth certainly had a much larger budget to play with than at Brighton.
2022-23 SEASON
Alexander Isak – Every football project needs a statement signing and the £62m spent to bring Swedish forward Isak from Real Sociedad was certainly that. Isak has largely lived up to the price tag, scoring 24 times in 52 appearances so far. Eddie Howe also compared one of his assists to something Thierry Henry might produce. Should be plenty more to come for the outlay. HIT
Matt Targett – The left-back cost £15m when signed from Aston Villa but unfortunately his time with Newcastle so far has been disrupted by injuries, not least the hamstring problem that has him currently sidelined. Has plenty to prove still. JURY’S OUT
Swedish striker Alexander Isak didn’t come cheap at £62m but nets regularly for Newcastle
England goalkeeper Nick Pope was performing well before he dislocated his shoulder
Nick Pope – A £10m arrival from Burnley, the England International proved great value for money as Newcastle’s No 1 last season, keeping an impressive 18 clean sheets in total. Had eight more under his belt before his dislocated his shoulder against Man United back in December. HIT
Sven Botman – The defender came in from Lille for £35m and was a mainstay in a great season for Newcastle in which they qualified for the Champions League and reached the Carabao Cup final. Like so many of his team-mates, this season has been interrupted by injury and Newcastle don’t look quite as secure at the back. Botman has still proved a good signing though. HIT
Loris Karius – The German’s one and only Newcastle appearance after signing from Liverpool in September 2022 remains the Carabao Cup final. He was drafted in because Pope was suspended and second-choice Martin Dubravka cup-tied. In fairness, Karius made a number of good saves at Wembley in a losing cause but regular football looks unlikely. MISS
Anthony Gordon – The young winger didn’t come cheaply from Everton – his fee could be £45m eventually – but he’s certainly proved his class. Gordon, 22, has eight goals and seven assists in 50 games so far, the majority this season after he settled into the challenge. There should be loads more to come too. HIT
Harrison Ashby – Clearly intended as one for the future when signed from West Ham for £3m. Currently out on loan at Swansea in the Championship. JURY’S OUT
Anthony Gordon is already a popular figure on Tyneside with plenty of potential too
Newcastle miscalculated over Sandro Tonali but should see his value next season
2023-24 SEASON
Sandro Tonali – It’s a case of delayed gratification for Toon fans when it comes to Tonali, who won’t play again until next season as he serves out his 10-month betting ban. Questions about whether Newcastle carried out enough due diligence aside, Tonali did show plenty of promise in the 12 appearances he made before the bombshell news. Should be very good indeed. JURY’S OUT
Harvey Barnes – Again, a chunky transfer fee of £38m but reasonable enough given he was one of Leicester’s star performers and they’d just gone down. Scored one goal and set up another on Newcastle debut against Aston Villa but a foot injury has since slowed his progress. Has the feeling of another astute Ashworth signing though. JURY’S OUT
Tino Livramento – At an initial £32m and with a potential £8m in add-ons, 21-year-old Livramento is a punt on the future and a signal of a willingness to invest in English talent. Has given Newcastle many reasons to be optimistic so far. HIT
