Dan Ashworth has emerged as a potential target for Arsenal’s sporting director vacancy.
This is primarily due to his good relationship with Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick and his sudden availability after leaving Manchester United.
The pair worked together at West Brom until Ashworth joined the Football Association in 2012 and have maintained a friendship ever since.
Ashworth’s departure from United confirmed on Sunday, saw his name added to the list of candidates to replace Edwin at the Emirates.
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Ashworth has left Manchester United as sporting director after just five months at the club
However, it is premature to see Ashworth as the frontrunner in a process the club is taking time to consider and implement.
Edu’s previous No. 2, Jason Ayto, served as interim athletic director and is also seen as a candidate for the full-time position.
Outgoing Real Sociedad sporting director Roberto Olabe is another name due to his good relationship with coach Mikel Arteta.
Sky Sports News has already informed about it PSG striker Luis Campos is another name being mooted.
After Edu’s departure, Arsenal are looking for a new sporting director
Arsenal are in no rush to sign anyone before the upcoming January transfer window and are more likely to have someone in place in anticipation of next summer.
The club is looking at its medium and long-term strategy and therefore who will suit the club and the task of taking it forward.
Edu resigned as sporting director in November to take control of Evangelos Marinakis’ group of clubs, which includes Nottingham Forest.
Why didn’t it work out for Ashworth at Man Utd?
Sky Sports News reporter Melissa Reddy speaks on the Transfer Talk podcast.
“I was told from the end of the club (Manchester United) that Ashworth was too passive compared to the others.
“He didn’t run his department and his areas of jurisdiction, and he didn’t work the way the hierarchy wanted him to, and the way Omar Barada, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vival have done.
“They felt he was the odd one out, not performing the way they expected him to perform.
“And then the flip side of that is that Ashworth felt left out of very important decision-making processes.
“A lot of the areas he ran, other hands were involved, so he didn’t get a chance to put his stamp on it.
“What he suggested in terms of cooperation and how to improve the culture of the club was vetoed.
“Even small things like Sir Jim Ratcliffe have been very, very strong in terms of United being so far behind in terms of recruitment, and particularly recruitment analysis.
“So when Ashworth recommends a very good outside analytics firm to come in and help the club, it’s going to be destroyed and he’s in a situation where he thinks, well, you want better analytics, we don’t have that at the moment. This might help us in the short term :
“There’s conflicting reports, but it’s pretty clear that the relationship, the structure, the structure wasn’t working.
“Then you have to ask yourself, because you chased this man so much and made so much noise about his appointment, what did you think you were getting? Because the Dan Ashworth that arrived at United is that Dan It’s Ashworth, which was all the other clubs.
“He’s a very good organizational leader. He’s never admitted to being a transfer guru or an analysis leader. He’s very good at putting together and putting together a long-term strategy for INEOS.”
