What Next For Manchester United and Dan Ashworth?
Since Sir jim Ratcliffe’s arrival at Manchester United, speculation surrounding the Red Devils has been incessant. Now that the season has come to a close conjecture around club’s future is coming to a head. Especially concerns surrounding United’s attempts to recruit Dan Ashworth.
Dubbed as a transitional period by manager Erik ten Hag, this recent campaign seemed destined for turbulence from the beginning. Questions about the squad, the manager, and the front office have been a mainstay throughout the season, as usual.
However, at this moment, the most important question that needs to be answered is, when will Dan Ashworth arrive?
The summer transfer window is quickly approaching. Many teams are already conducting business. However, without a director of football, Manchester United are quickly going to be left in the wind yet again, if they do not act quickly.
Manchester United Search for a New DOF
The stall in Ashworths arrival is also killing what little feel good factor was left at the club from the arrival of Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, as well as the FA Cup final win. People are beginning to doubt that INEOS are the saviors so many of us had hoped they would be.
Dan Ashworth has been the man Ratcliffe wanted since day one. Yet, after six months in charge at United, INEOS have yet to resolve the multiple issues surrounding his acquisition.
At what point should Manchester United move on to the next candidate? What is the hold up? With so much at the club that needs to be done this summer, it would have been ideal to have Ashworth, or any DOF, in place before the summer window opens.
There are plenty of other top flight candidates United could easily recruit. At some point, it will only become detrimental to the club’s plans to continue to hold out for one individual. However, all indications are, it is Ashworth or bust for Manchester United’s new front office.
For better or worse United and Ratcliffe are sticking with their man.
Why Dan Ashworth?
Dan Ashworth in British Football
After retiring as a semi-professional footballer, Dan Ashworth became the academy director at Peterborough in 2000. The next year he left The Posh to join Cambridge United as the director of their Center of Excellence. Within a few years he moved on to West Bromwich Albion where he worked his way up to youth team manager.
In 2012 Ashworth was recruited by the FA as the Director of Elite Development. Part of the same initiative that saw Gareth Southgate recruited into the England fold. Together the two men built the new England DNA philosophy. A developmental guidebook that helped create players like Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
Eventually, in 2018 Ashworth was recruited by Brighton & Hove Albion as technical director. In his four years at the Amex Stadium, Ashworth was credited with building the front office and umbrella philosophies for the club in a time when they were widely considered one of the best run sporting enterprises in Europe.
In 2022 Ashworth joined the newly Saudi Arabian backed Newcastle. He helped them build a team that is now regular contenders for European football. Under Ashworth, Newcastle also built one of the best recruitment teams and youth academies in British football. That is impressive considering that he only joined the Magpies two years ago.
Dan Ashworth Recruitment History
Ashworth’s rapid rise to success ultimately came off the back of several shrewd investments.
He is widely considered responsible for West Brom’s recruitment of Romelu Lukaku and Peter Odemwingie. Additionally, he masterminded Brighton’s acquisition of Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Karou Mitoma, Alexis MacAllister and Leandro Trossard. At Newcastle he was in charge of the recruitment of Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak.
These players are just the tip of the iceberg in the long list of young talents that Ashworth has identified and helped develop. His eye for recognizing untapped potential and a penchant for moulding youth players has made him a man in demand.
Wherever Ashworth goes he seems to have a knack for uncovering diamonds in the rough.
What makes his transfer history all the more impressive is how much his signings have increased in their value. Ashworth has netted more that $300 million in transfer fees by identifying the right players at the right price. Then identifying when those players are no longer in the clubs plans and selling them for massive profits.
Ashworth purchased Caicedo for $4 million and sold him for $115 million. He bought MacAllister for $7million and sold him for $55million. Mitoma was picked up for $2.5 million and now has a market value of $70 million. The list goes on.
Dan Ashworth: Overhyped or Untapped Potential…
The question I can’t get out of my head is, why are Manchester United so fixated on Dan Ashworth? The fact that they were shopping around for a new manager before deciding to keep ten Hag, suggests they would be more open to other candidates. There are several world class DOF’s that United could chase. Many of whom have a better established history of success at more distinguished clubs.
Dan Ashworth has a great pedigree. But It should be pointed out that, while he found success at West Brom, Brighton and Newcastle, none of those clubs competes regularly in Europe. None of those clubs is close to the scale of Manchester United. Despite his relative successes his ingenuity has not been enough to elevate those teams to United’s level in global football.
Considering United’s long standing heritage of youth development, I can see why Ashworth is a strong candidate. But he is a far cry from the likes of Txiki Begiristain, Luis Campos, Michael Zorc, or Monchi who operate on a significantly less colloquial scale.
I simply can’t see where Dan Ashworth merits as much attention and acclaim as some of his contemporaries.
Many other DOF’s that Untied could go after have similar philosophies, and more trophies than Ashworth. However, his one saving grace is his that experience within English football is unparalleled. So much so, it is the only factor justifying United holding out for him.
The Political Argument for Dan Ashworth
For me, the real reason that Manchester United are so fixated on Dan Ashworth is politically driven.
Manchester United are one of the largest sporting enterprises in the world. Meaning, regardless of last seasons poor performances, they have the ability to recruit pretty much anyone they want as DOF. After six months of trying unsuccessfully to recruit Ashworth, many other teams would have moved on.
However, In the United Kingdom, the FA and the Premier League, like many other football governances, have the primary goal to promote and develop football at the grassroots level while building the global reputation of their respective domestic leagues and national team
So much so that there are regulations placed on Premier League teams designed to balance the ratio of foreign and domestically developed players within the league.
From that perspective, Dan Ashworth is the perfect DOF for any british team. He has thrived on developing domestic talent and formulating success through maturing youth prospects. His experience within the FA and his understanding of how players are nurtured in England is second to none.
That on its own is enough for any team in Britain to want to recruit him. What that knowledge has yet to transcend to is success on a more cosmopolitan scale. A gamble that Ratcliffe and Co. are clearly willing to take.
What is the Hold Up?
For now Manchester United are sticking with there man, for better or worse.
Now the question becomes, what is the hold up? As I previously mentioned, Manchester United have been chasing Dan Ashworth since January. There are even claims that he was a target for United prior to his move to Newcastle.
A fact that does little to flatter the owners at Old Trafford, and has done nothing more than continue to frustrate Red Devils fans.
Ashworth Placed on Gardening Leave
However, consider that Dan Ashworth was operating as Newcastle’s director of football for the last two years. Meaning he has intimate knowledge of the Magpie’s strategies, not just for this season, but up to a potential ten year layout.
As is Newcastle’s right, they do not want to allow Ashworth to leave to a rival team with proprietary information. The moment there was contact between United and Ashworth, Ashworth was immediately placed on gardening leave while the two clubs work out his transfer.
United and Newcastle then battled back and forth for months negotiating a compensation fee and how long Ashworth would have to remain on leave before he could join United.
At their peak, rumors suggested Newcastle would take $18-25 million in compensation. Where as United value his acquisition between $3-5 million. The further sticking point became Newcastle’s insistence that Ashworth not be allowed to join United for up to a year following the agreement.
It has since appeared that this impasse has created a standoff between the two clubs.
Dan Ashworth vs Newcastle United…
When United realized they couldn’t convince Newcastle to release Ashworth to them sooner they pushed the situation into arbitration at the beginning of May. United believe they, and Ashworth, are being unfairly treated. Whereas Newcastle dont want to give away all of their secrets to a team they see as rivals without having revised strategies in place.
The arguments the court has to now decide between are the following:
Ashworth and Manchester United are claiming that he was placed on gardening leave in violation of his contract. Their assertion is that Newcastle breached Ashworth’s contract by putting him on leave before either Manchester United or Ashworth had made any formal contact with Newcastle to inform them of his desire to leave the Magpies.
United and Ashworth further claim that until said written notification was submitted, any and all correspondence between Ashworth and United are inadmissible and hearsay.
However, Newcastle are claiming that Ashworth breached his contract first. They argue the initial contract violation occurred when Ashworth began intently discussing a move to Manchester United with incoming CEO Omar Berrada without notifying them of his intent to leave the club. Newcastle further assert that he was in conversations with Berrada while Berrada was himself on gardening leave while INEOS negotiated his compensation with Manchester City.
Newcastle further claim to have correspondence between the two during that period, which Ashworth mistakenly sent to a Newcastle company email, proving their argument. Placing both men in violation of their respective contracts.
The hearing to sort out this debate is due to commence at the end of this month.
Ashworth Claims Newcastle Fired Him
In the shadow of this arbitration hearing, Ashworth has now come out with new claims implicating Newcastle further. He asserts that he was fired by Newcastle and should not have been placed on gardening leave to begin with.
The argument is rather he-said-she-said. However, there is a clause in Ashworth contract with Newcastle that says in order for him to be placed on leave he must submit a written and signed resignation to Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales.
If that formality is not met then Newcastle contractually cannot place him on leave. Instead, by legal definition, they are firing him and cannot hold him back from pursuing other professional opportunities. Basically, by placing him on leave prior to him submitting a written request, Newcastle jumped the gun and were in breach of contract themselves.
What the court needs to decide is, first were the conversations between Berrada and Ashworth in breach of contract? Second, was Newcastle in breach by prematurely placing Ashworth on leave? And if both are true, which event supersedes the other.
Ashworth to United Held Up By Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules
Another perspective on the delayed arrival of Dan Ashworth has to do with financial fair play. Otherwise known as profit and sustainability rules (PSRs) in the Premier League.
Manchester United and Newcastle are more than $20 million apart on their valuation of Dan Ashworth. If both clubs are going to hold firm, then there is another argument that United are fighting to not violate PSRs by overpaying for Ashworth.
Or at the least, they do not want to be more restricted in the transfer market by overpaying for him. Their hope is to rectify issues in arbitration court to avoid a fee that would place them in a precarious position with PSR.
This sets a benchmark that United cannot and will not be held hostage with transfer fees, regardless of whether they are recruiting a player, coach or executive. It also shows that Manchester United are much closer to violating FFP laws than fans have previously been led to believe.
Is Dan Ashworth Worth the Wait?
For me personally, this situation has become too much of a shit show. One that I don’t think many United fans would have predicted to happen so soon under INEOS.
At best, Ashworth and United win the arbitration case. But, the hearing is not until the end of June. By the time a decision is made, if United win, Ashworth is still arriving at Old Trafford after the transfer window opens and potentially with little to no say in Erik ten Hag’s future, player sales or recruitment, or next season’s strategy.
At worst, Newcastle win. Leaving United with a $20 million bill, an elite asset they cannot officially use for up to a year, and a lot of mud on their faces.
The persistence from all parties to continue to play out this grade school level drama is unbecoming of everyone involved.
For me, that alone means that Ashworth will always leave a salty taste in the mouth. And the second it looks like he is failing, all of this drama will rise to the surface again.
I am very close to saying it might be best for United to cut bait and run before they are seen to be falling back into old ways. But for now, a lot of people, whom I believe to be much smarter and more informed than me all believe that Ashworth is the man regardless of how we get him or how long we have to wait.
I hope they are right.
Glory, Glory Man United!
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