Arsenal eye Dan Ashworth after shock Man Utd exit

Arsenal are have added Dan Ashworth to their shortlist of potential sporting directors, according to a report.

The transfer guru has been in the news a lot in recent days after his shock departure from Manchester United. Ashworth left the club after just five months despite the club’s lengthy pursuit of him.

Man Utd had spent several months chasing Ashworth and negotiating with his former club Newcastle over a deal, eventually having to pay a significant compensation fee in the region of €3 million.

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Yet Ashworth departed the club following Man Utd’s 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest. The separation was officially described as mutual, but information that has filtered through since suggests that Sir Jim Ratcliffe was the driving force behind his departure.

There were said to be irreconcilable differences between the pair and some reports even claimed that Ashworth had in recent weeks essentially been removed from any kind of decision-making processes despite previously being described as a ‘best-in-class’ sporting director.

Arsenal eye Ashworth

Despite Ashworth’s unceremonious exit from Old Trafford, it would appear that he remains highly rated in the industry. According to ESPN, he has now been added to Arsenal’s shortlist of sporting director options.

The Gunners are still looking for a replacement for Edu Gaspar, who recently resigned from his post to take up a role overseeing the teams in Evangelios Marinakis’ multi-club network, which includes Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest.

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Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for departing Real Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe, but Ashworth now appears to also be among the candidates for the job.

The report mentions that Ashworth previously worked with Arsenal’s managing director Richard Garlick at West Brom and that the two had a good relationship. It is unclear whether Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave by Man Utd.