Dan Ashworth's appointment is being hailed by many as Newcastle United's 'biggest signing of the summer'. The transfer window isn't even open yet but the Magpies have made a strong statement with the early acquisition of the highly-rated Brighton operator.
Ashworth's experience is vast. He has held positions at both the Seagulls and West Brom, as well as the role of technical director at the FA. Under his reign, the England U17 and U20 sides won their respective World Cups.
Many are left wondering what position he will fill at St. James' Park. His title as 'sporting director' was unveiled on Monday but questions remains as to how closely he will work with Eddie Howe, Amanda Staveley, Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the players themselves.
READ MORE: 'Able to sit down with Eddie' - Dan Ashworth's Newcastle bonus and what he told Brighton players
For a long time Newcastle haven't had a proper functioning boardroom, with key positions left unfilled as Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley tried to manage various aspects at the top. From minute one, the new owners have sought to change that - and Ashworth's appointment to the club's hierarchy won't be the last.
His role at Brighton saw him work extremely close to chairman Tony Bloom, who set out his vision for the football club. It was up to Ashworth to make that vision a reality. Speaking to BT Sport earlier this season, viewers of the early kick-off were given an insight into how Ashworth works and his duties on the south coast.
"My role as Technical Director role is to look after the interest of the club in the medium to long term. My job at 12.30 on a Saturday is not tactical systems, that's the manager's job," he told BT's Jake Humphrey.
"There are six things that come into my role: Men's first-team, women's first-team, player recruitment, the academy, medical and sports science and the player loan department. All of those things are medium to long term things in order to try and make sure the club is sustainable, we spend money wisely, we open up pathways for player to come through the system."
Brighton are somewhat of a unique club in that they have a distinct view of how they want to play football. Graham Potter has made sure of that. Ashworth admits himself, Potter and Bloom all worked in tandem to ensure the club was pulling in the same direction.
"You hire a coach that matches the philosophy and matches the direction of travel the club wants to go in. Tony and the board wouldn't hire a coach that was totally against where the club is going. My job is to stitch that together.
"So Graham fits the philosophies that the club see going forward, then it's about making sure the under-23s, the academy put the right plans around the young players, get them out on loan at the right places, to give them the best chance to play for Brighton."
It has been a long time since Newcastle have seen such a figure at the helm of their club. Those who know Ashworth expect him to do big things in the north east.
