Newcastle United announced the appointment of Dan Ashworth as their sporting director on Monday afternoon.
TalkSport pundit Darren Bent was left blown away by the news emerging out of St James’ Park, with the former Premier League striker feeling it could be a major addition to their setup.
A potential move for the 51-year-old has been expected for a number of months now, having left Brighton & Hove Albion back in February.
However, only a few weeks ago, there were major doubts over whether Ashworth would be appointed in time for the summer transfer window, with some fearing he could arrive as late as November.
And with the summer window upon us and some clubs already making early moves, Bent feels this appointment could be a real gamechanger for the Toon.
He said: “That’s massive for Newcastle, because he is phenomenal, Dan Ashworth. Some of the targets he’s identified, the job he’s done at Brighton. That is massive.
“I’m pretty sure he worked for the FA as well. That was what Newcastle needed, because I know they have all the money in the world, but you need somebody there who’s been there and done it, who can build a club, identify the right targets.
“And the fact they’ve got Dan Ashworth, that is huge for Newcastle.”
Is Ashworth the signing of the summer at NUFC?
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TIF Thoughts on Bent’s comments…
We have to agree with the former Sunderland man – this feels like it could be a real gamechanger for Newcastle going forward in their development.
This is the first executive appointment made on Tyneside following the takeover late last year, and the Toon have already made significant progress prior to this.
Ashworth has had a huge effect down on the south coast with Brighton’s academy structure transformed and targets such as Tariq Lamptey identified for the first team.
With the huge financial power behind him now at St James’ Park, this could be a really exciting addition to help take Newcastle closer to their owners’ ambitious goals.