For months leading up to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's eventual buy-in of Manchester United it was speculated that Dan Ashworth would follow the INEOS billionaire through the door at Old Trafford.
The pair have a pre-existing relationship and Ratcliffe was said to have earmarked Ashworth as his number one choice for the Sporting Director role at Manchester United.
So far, Dan Ashworth has stayed put and the feeling is that will remain the case, but now there are reports linking him with the job at Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp is set to leave The Reds at the end of the season (Praise be!) and a lot of his backroom staff are likely to follow.
Jorg Schmadtke will leave with Jurgen Klopp leaving a hole in the Sporting Director role, one that Ben Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT that Dan Ashworth could fill.
"All signs lead to an attempt to attract Ashworth to the sporting director position at Anfield, who is also generating interest from Manchester United. The former Brighton & Hove Albion chief has operated in the same role at St. James’ Park since the summer of 2022, where his dealings were influential in Newcastle’s ability to pip Liverpool to a Champions League qualification spot during the 2022/23 season. However, the 52-year-old may feel that a move to Liverpool would be the step up to a European giant that could tickle his fancy."
That's a bold claim from GIVEMESPORT, based on precisely nothing.
We can't see this one happening, although we're still not 100% convinced Ashworth won't go to Manchester United at some point. He may hang on for a bit longer at Newcastle, but there's just too much around the Man United move that makes sense.
To be honest, from what we've seen, there could be a big chunk of Newcastle fans who wouldn't mind seeing the back of Ashworth. Let's just see how it all plays out.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
13 | 18 | 34 |
2 |
Arsenal
|
13 | 12 | 25 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
13 | 12 | 25 |
4 |
Brighton
|
13 | 5 | 23 |
5 |
Manchester City
|
13 | 3 | 23 |
6 |
Nottingham Forest
|
13 | 3 | 22 |
7 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
13 | 14 | 20 |
8 |
Brentford
|
13 | 3 | 20 |
9 |
Manchester United
|
13 | 4 | 19 |
10 |
Fulham
|
13 | 0 | 19 |
11 |
Newcastle United
|
13 | 0 | 19 |
12 |
Aston Villa
|
13 | -3 | 19 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
13 | 1 | 18 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
13 | -7 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
13 | -11 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
13 | -11 | 10 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
13 | -7 | 9 |
18 |
Wolves
|
13 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Ipswich
|
13 | -11 | 9 |
20 |
Southampton
|
13 | -15 | 5 |