Dan Ashworth left his role as Manchester United sporting director just five months after joining the club, with Arsenal icon Martin Keown issuing a warning over his appointment
13:26, 12 Dec 2024Updated 13:30, 12 Dec 2024
Dan Ashworth
Dan Ashworth could be on the way to Arsenal(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal legend Martin Keown has questioned the suitability of former Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth for a role with the Gunners.
Ashworth left United on Sunday after a mere five months, having been prised away from Newcastle after protracted negotiations between the two clubs at a cost of around £3m. His appointment was seen as a bold move by new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, but proved to be yet another costly blunder.
The 53-year-old had made a name for himself at both Brighton and The FA, with Ratcliffe hailing him as "one of the best sporting directors in the world". However, his decision to leave St James' Park in a move that ended acrimoniously, necessitated arbitration, resulted in gardening leave and left Eddie Howe disappointed, was criticised at the time.
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Keown has now reignited this controversy, questioning whether his beloved Gunners, who have been linked with Ashworth following their director Edu's departure, should chase someone whose personality could potentially be detrimental in the long run, reports the Mirror.
"I was troubled with the fact that he wanted to leave Newcastle so quickly," Keown confessed, speaking to David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast, brought to you by Betway.
Dan Ashworth will no longer be sharing the directors box with Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Dan Ashworth will no longer be sharing the directors box with Sir Jim Ratcliffe(Image: Getty)
"Suddenly, something's glistening in the distance, shiny in the shape of Manchester United, and he wants to jump from Newcastle. Okay, what sort of personality are we talking about?"
Keown added: "The sporting directors, they're role models within the building. They're having a say with all the young players, their behaviour, contracts and the rest of it, and then suddenly someone just leaves. Just click of a finger, he's gone.
"He turns up at Manchester United, and it feels embarrassing now. It's a power struggle, you know," Keown remarked. "They've got so many different cooks, haven't they? It's all speculation right now. But he's gone out the door very quickly."
Edu
Arsenal's former technical director Edu(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Keown expressed discontent with Edu's departure as well, pointing out how this move could leave Mikel Arteta isolated. He said: "I'm not happy that Edu's gone. That, for me, was a disappointment because it leaves the manager on his own. I think Richard Garlick [Arsenal director of football operations] will attend to that quickly and the necessary people will be back in.
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"Whether we (Arsenal) take someone that Man United don't want, or didn't like [Ashworth], I don't know. It does seem that the journalists I'm hearing who are breaking the story seem to have had Dan Ashworth's ear. It seems that because he was 'shocked and stunned'.
"So, we're hearing that, so where's that coming from? I think it's coming from the horse's mouth. But as I say, I'd love to hear from him sometime soon because I'd be really interested to get the insight from Dan Ashworth as to why this guy, who Jim Ratcliffe said, 'he's the best in class', within a few months is out the door."