As a former football club owner, the idea of paying up to £20m in compensation for a sporting director is not particularly palatable, but in modern football it seems a fair price.
I understand why Manchester United would want to hire Dan Ashworth for that role, as the cost of players is so high now that it makes sense to hire someone to oversee that part of the business.
There are so many moving parts to securing a player’s transfer that you need someone who is responsible for overseeing the entire operation.
United have spent approximately £1.6bn on players over the last decade. A lot has been wasted, but it shows how much the big clubs are willing to spend in pursuit of success. So why wouldn’t you want the best in class to make those decisions?
Unfortunately for Newcastle, as soon as you start doing something well, others at bigger, more powerful clubs take your assets and undermine what you have created.
A £20m signing could change everything for Manchester United behind the scenes (Sir Jim Ratcliffe pictured)
Dan Ashworth could save Man United a lot more money than they will have to pay Newcastle in compensation for him.
United want the best person to make transfer decisions after spending around £1.6bn on players over the last decade (Paul Pogba pictured, struggled to live up to his price tag)
The same goes for Brighton, who lose their head of recruitment to Chelsea. It makes a lot of sense to Todd Boehly. Instead of paying more for Moisés Caicedo and Marc Cucurella, why not hire the man who brought those players to English football for a pittance?
This is a different ball game for Ashworth now, albeit with a different set of expectations and pressures compared to previous roles at Brighton, West Brom, Newcastle and even England.
He faces a huge task, but United clearly feel he is worth the expense. He will be responsible for breaking up the current squad, securing the value of its unwanted stars, bringing in new players and overseeing a huge wage bill.
Let’s not forget that he will also be responsible for recruiting United’s next manager if they decide that Erik Ten Hag is not the man to bring back the glory years. So while £20m is a big old fee, it seems about right when you consider the job description.
Ashworth would be responsible for hiring United’s next manager if he parts ways with Erik ten Hag
The owners are further removed from the team than in the days I was involved. For nation states, billionaires and hedge funds, clubs are no longer their primary proposition, so they want people in positions of influence who can solve their problems.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has enough problems and he doesn’t want United to add to them, he wants solutions and that is why he has turned to Ashworth.
Over time, it will save the club much more money than any compensation they agree with Newcastle.
Why does Neville have his panties so twisted?
Nottingham Forest’s recruitment of Mr Gladiators (and former Premier League official) Mark Clattenburg as a refereeing consultant has put Gary Neville’s knickers in a twist.
While creating such a role seems to overdo the pudding a bit, if Forest sees value in it then I struggle to see the problem.
Clubs employ throw-in coaches, psychologists, dietary advisors and all manner of analysts to gain marginal advantages and this appears to be an extension of that. So where is the harm? Why is bringing in a respected former referee to help understand the decision-making an exception?
Forest evidently believes there is value in gaining a greater understanding of referees’ decisions and the rules of the game, even if they should already know them inside out, so let them get on with it.
Gary Neville (right) criticized Nottingham Forest for hiring Mark Clattenburg (left) as a refereeing consultant.
Forest believes there is value in gaining a greater understanding of officials’ decisions.
I’m not sure it works though. It’s like the old saying: what good is wisdom if it doesn’t benefit the wise? Players have been told for years not to take off their shirts in the penalty area and they still do.
I wonder if Forest, like society sometimes, is perpetuating a victim culture for the perceived injustices imposed on them.
Sometimes bad decisions happen, that’s the nature of the beast and Forest seem to see themselves as victims of a concerted plot to receive them.
Will this galvanize your spirit or weaken your resolve? I’m not sure. Too many people in society seem to succumb to adversity rather than overcome it.
Bad decisions are part of football. A better approach would be to get over it, move on and win your games.