David Ornstein says he ‘doesn’t know of any developments’ in Arsenal’s reported interest in appointing Dan Ashworth as their new sporting director but revealed there are ‘rumblings within the industry’ following Manchester United’s shock decision.
The Red Devils parted ways with Ashworth on Sunday after their 3-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, ending his tenure after just five months in the role.
Speculation over Ashworth’s next move has already begun, with Arsenal being mentioned as a possible destination.
The Sun has claimed the Gunners are targeting the ex-Brighton man as a replacement for sporting director Edu, citing his close relationship with Arsenal’s managing director, Richard Garlick.
The pair worked together at West Bromwich Albion for three years, where Garlick served as legal director and later succeeded Ashworth as sporting director in 2013.
Ornstein, speaking on The Athletic FC podcast, suggested that Arsenal’s links to Ashworth are unsurprising given his history with Garlick but noted that an immediate move to the Emirates may not be straightforward due to the circumstances surrounding his exit from United:
“We can't speculate too much without knowing and in normal circumstances, there would be something stopping Dan Ashworth, somebody in that role, going and working for a Premier League rival, if he has received a payoff, that would be pretty standard.
“So we'll have to wait and see. There's obviously rumblings within the industry, people putting two and two together, because Richard Garlick is the managing director at Arsenal now, he was number two and very close to Dan Ashworth at West Bromwich Albion earlier in their careers, and Arsenal have a vacancy post Edu, but we don't know of anything developing there.”
Ashworth’s departure came less than a month after Ruben Amorim’s appointment as United head coach, with reports suggesting his ‘tense relationship’ with club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe played a role in the decision.
The 53-year-old’s performance during the summer transfer window is said to have disappointed Ratcliffe, after United spent heavily on five new players and handed a contract extension to Erik ten Hag.
United reportedly have no plans to replace Ashworth and have decided to eliminate the role of sporting director entirely following the failed experiment.
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