Ineos have just laid down quite the marker, with a successful outcome regarding Dan Ashworth.
Upon seizing control of the Premier League, one of the their first major ambitions was to bring an end to an era of overpaying. An end to that so-called ‘Manchester United tax’.
No longer would the Red Devils be bullied in the market, forced to stump up inflated fees for their top targets.
And while such an approach means Manchester United may find themselves missing out on a few highly-talented individuals – they may yet walk away from a deal for Jarrad Branthwaite unless Everton are willing to reduce their £70 million price-tag – the long-term benefits should offset any short-term frustrations.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe had made no secret of his frustration about the way the whole Dan Ashworth saga had developed, aiming a few very public barbs in Newcastle’s direction.
“One of the biggest issues in football, which I have to say I wasn’t fully prepared for, was the gardening leave issue,” Ratcliffe told Bloomberg, Ashworth stuck in limbo for months with United and Newcastle poles apart as they struggled to agree a compensation fee.
“(This) is not something that I bump into in my business world. I see absolutely no point in the gardening leave thing that they have in football. It just makes it difficult to change things with pace because Omar (Berrada, new CEO) is on six months, Dan Ashworth is on one-and-a-half years.
“Newcastle are just being very difficult and very awkward about Dan. Until you get the people in, it’s quite difficult to drive the change and it’s just frustrating.”
Ratcliffe, then, could be forgiven for giving himself a self-satisfied pat on the back as Newcastle finally blinked on Sunday.
Manchester United agree Dan Ashworth deal with Newcastle
With the Profit and Sustainability deadline occurring on the night of June 30th, Newcastle did what Ratcliffe always felt they might do. They caved, and more than halved their initial £20 million asking price.
The Sun say that the fee Man United eventually paid for Ratcliffe was actually ‘significantly less’ than half.
This is quite the win, then, for Ineos. A statement of intent, and a firm message that the days when clubs could force a panicking United side into becoming willing victims of daylight robbery ended when the Glazers finally agreed to cede control.
Ashworth, who will act as United’s sporting director, can also begin work as early as today.
The announcement is official, per club media, with a joint statement issued from both clubs: “Newcastle United and Manchester United have reached an agreement for the immediate release of Dan Ashworth from his contractual obligations at Newcastle United.
“The terms of this agreement remain confidential between the clubs. Newcastle United thanks Dan for his services and wishes him well for the future.”
The 52-year-old is one of the most respected figures in English football, Sir Alex Ferguson among his many admirers. Ashworth played a key role in the emergence of the England national team as genuine challengers for the game’s biggest prizes under Gareth Southgate before helping turn Brighton and Hove Albion into one of the best run club sides in Europe.
Ineos make a real statement
“If Dan does come in, I do think there’s a chance that the performance mentality will improve,” United legend Gary Neville, who knows Ashworth well from his time on England’s coaching staff, told the Stick to Football podcast.
“I’m not saying Dan is going to be a success at Manchester United. But if you’ve got the guy in from Manchester City (Berrada) and now Dan Ashworth, at least you’ve got people in roles that belong, as they’ve not had that in the last 10 years.
“With England, he started with the Under-21s, the Under-18s and with the women’s team. You think of the success of all those teams in recent years, but that has been in the making for eight years. And it all started when Dan came in.
“I’m not saying he’s (entirely) responsible for what happened. But he had a big influence with FA.
“They were a terrible organisation from a professionalism point of view. And I felt what he did, he put processes in place where they’re now structured and organised.”
The Sun do not report exactly how much the Red Devils ended up paying Newcastle. But, with The Magpies having initially rejected a £3 million offer before agreeing to accept ‘significantly less’ than £10 million, one suspects the fee for Ashworth is somewhere in the region of £5 million.
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