Dan Ashworth has previously stated there is “no point” in buying a player the first-team manager does not wish to sign. There has been confusion among Newcastle United supporters about how the recruitment process will function since the former Brighton chief was appointed as sporting director on Monday.
Fans are excited that such a highly-rated operator will arrive at St James' Park ahead of the expected summer shopping spree. Previously, Eddie Howe, Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and head of recruitment Steve Nickson clubbed together to draft up potential targets during a chaotic January transfer window.
During the latter stages of Mike Ashley’s regime, the trio of Nickson, Lee Charnley and Steve Bruce - or Rafa Benitez beforehand - worked in cohesion to discuss transfer activity, with the manager having the final say on players. The arrival of Ashworth is unanimously seen as a positive but those who believe he will yield all the power may need to rethink.
