Kieran Maguire has been speaking on the Loaded HQ YouTube channel about Newcastle United’s director of football hunt.
Newcastle were granted permission to speak to Brighton’s technical director Dan Ashworth last month and while talks have been held, it’s been reported by The Athletic that no decision is expected to be imminent in terms of what Ashworth decides to do.
Who would be better for NUFC?
Carlos!
Botman!
In that same report, it was claimed Ashworth was certainly not the only candidate for the role at St. James’ Park, and Maguire – a Brighton fan himself – believes that could be good news for Magpies fans because of where Ashworth’s strengths lie and how that may not fit their ambitions.
Maguire has spoken about his concerns over Ashworth going to Newcastle.
He said: “I think it’s important to get a good director of football in. I’m fully aware of Newcastle’s interest in Dan Ashworth. I don’t think he’s the right man for Newcastle, because he’s a development manager, whereas I think Newcastle are probably looking to accelerate their progress – and I would say that, because I think he’s the perfect man for Brighton.
“But I think having somebody who understands player development and is also familiar with the markets is really important, because otherwise, you’ll get your trousers taken down by agents who are claiming that their player is fantastic and so on.”
TIF Thoughts on Dan Ashworth…
Amanda Staveley stated after the takeover of Newcastle was confirmed that she, the Reuben brothers and PIF had the aim of winning the Premier League with the Magpies, so having someone at the helm such as Ashworth may not meet the necessary criteria if he is indeed better at developing players and identifying somewhat unearthed gems as Maguire suggests, as Newcastle could well be going for blockbuster moves in the summer if they avoid relegation to meet their ambitious aims within the next decade or so.
Someone such as Luis Campos may well be a better target for the club to go all-in for as he has experience working for Lille and AS Monaco where he helped bring in players good enough to beat PSG to a league title.
In other news: ‘Everything I’ve heard’ – Luke Edwards drops bold claim on NUFC transfer window budget