Former Football Association Director of Elite Development, Dan Ashworth, continues to be a man in demand despite what can only be described as quite a bizarre last 12 months and now it is being said that Arsenal are the latest club to want to bring him in and appoint him to the role of Sporting Director.
Having left his FA position, the 53 year old took up a technical director role with Brighton and Hove Albion in the spring of 2019, before then moving on to Newcastle United early on in 2022. His employment history was then complicated in early 2024 as Manchester United made him their top target, and as negotiations on compensation began, he was placed on gardening leave and did not actually make the switch until July 1.
He only lasted at Old Trafford for five months, mutually terminating his agreement on December 8, and according to sources at ESPN, he now features on our list of potential candidates to replace Edu following the announcement of his resignation last month.
Most Read on Arsenal Mania
Ashworth’s reputation has undoubtedly suffered a blow with his latest career choices, but his stock remains pretty high given the work he has previously done at other clubs earlier in his career, and there could be legs to our apparent interest in his services as he used to work alongside current managing director Richard Garlick many years ago at West Bromwich Albion where they notoriously picked up very cost effective gems, and for a period punched above their weight on the pitch.
Garlick actually replaced Ashworth when he left The Hawthorns to take up the FA position.
So, with Ashworth now searching for a new opportunity again, making our shortlist does make sense as we assess our potential options following what many believe was Edu’s shock, and unexpected decision, to walk away himself for a job ultimately with Evangelos Marinakis’ multi club group which includes Nottingham Forest.
With plenty of speculation ahead of the January transfer window, news out of the club is that it will likely be a quiet month from our point of view, so with assistant technical director Jason Ayto stepping up alongside Garlick to cover the New Year for the interim period, a fresh appointment is not believed to be close and the club are determined to take their time to ensure that they make the right one so that the progress we have made in more recent years continues without interruption.
We all hope that will be the case, but an appointment sooner rather than later would probably be welcomed by most fans so that we know we are preparing for the summer and looking to build further.
Image Source: unsplash.com