FootBiz newsletter #29: why Dan Ashworth left Manchester United, plus Nike, Man City and more

It’s a big week in FIFAland this week with the World Cup acclamation on Thursday and then the World Cup qualifying draw on Friday, but we’ve given that a lot of coverage in the last few weeks, so this newsletter gets stuck into some more newsy matters.

First of all, Dan Ashworth’s surprise departure from Manchester United. One of England’s most well-considered football executives - in the age of the executive, no less - is now unemployed after what we hear was a fairly one-sided ‘mutual’ agreement to leave.

But, as we dig into in today’s newsletter, if Ashworth didn’t fit with the culture and executive structure at United then he’s better off leaving anyway. He won’t be short of offers - but will be pickier about his destination next time. As Martin Samuel pointed out in The Times, Ashworth wouldn’t have been jettisoned after just a few months at Brighton, or Newcastle, but he didn’t want those jobs when he turned his back on them to leave. This is part of life when you join a club known for dysfunction.

Beyond Ashworth and United we have updates on Manchester City’s 130 charges, Nike’s big new deal, Friday’s Club World Cup draw, Charlton, Reading and more.

For premium subscribers, yesterday there was a look ahead to Thursday’s stand-and-applause coronation of Saudi Arabia hosting of the World Cup in 2034 - and what exactly it might entail.

Rob also wrote on Gianni Infantino’s Trumpian fascination with dictators last week, as well the link between academia and Portugal’s golden generation of coaches.

If you’re not a premium subscriber yet, then it’s probably time to upgrade. 50% off offer expires at midnight.

Table of Contents

• Ashworth leaves Man United

• Man City hearing has concluded

• Just for the Elliott

• O Fenomeno, dealmaker?

• Liga MX owners set for vote

• Silver lining for Reading

Ashworth leaves Man United

Manchester United waited out five months of Dan Ashworth’s ‘gardening leave’ period with Newcastle United because they felt he was the best sporting director in the Premier League and saw him as the man who could turn around a club that had lost its way.

Within five months of taking up the role, Ashworth has left United in a mutual agreement that sounds a touch one-sided.

Reporting from various outlets plus our own enquiries make it clear why Ashworth - who made his name with successful stints at West Bromwich Albion, England, Brighton and then Newcastle - is now a free agent, with:

• a clear misalignment on duties

• a disconnect in personalities

• a crowded executive structure

all seemingly to blame for his premature exit.

Comprehensive reporting by The Athletic lays out that Ashworth was in charge of transfers last summer, with input from (now-defenestrated) head coach Erik Ten Hag. Two problems there; firstly, coaches shouldn’t be involved in recruitment as incentives are frequently misaligned (I realise my opinion is stronger than most on this front) and, secondly, Ashworth is not known as being some sort of transfer guru.

Ashworth is regarded as an elite structural sporting director rather than an identifier and recruiter of talent. It is why his work with England is so lauded (all structural, no recruitment) and why he succeeded at Brighton (a club that needed structure but has elite data recruitment tools already). At Newcastle, Steve Nickson led recruiting efforts, allowing Ashworth to build a structure around him and Eddie Howe.

That appears to be the root of the misalignment on duties.

Per multiple media reports, including The Times, Daily Mail and The Athletic, Ashworth infuriated Sir Jim Ratcliffe by publicly stating he had no part in the decision to retain Ten Hag over the summer. It is understood that Ashworth did so to protect himself and the club as he was not supposed to be involved in United business while on gardening leave, but Ratcliffe was incensed nonetheless. Another source has told us that Ratcliffe did not feel Ashworth had the aura and gravitas he was searching for, hoping for more of an ‘alpha male’ character.

Another United source felt Ashworth “lacked man management” but he had been considered very good at that in his previous jobs. Quite possibe, per an agent who has done deals with the club, was that Ashworth’s more considered demeanour did not gel with others in United’s constantly changing (and growing) executive committee amid a wrestle for power.

Indeed, on September 18th, in a piece for premium subscribers discussing what clubs look for in a sporting director, Rob Draper wrote the following:

“The job works if you’re non-threatening and you can deal with all the stakeholders, from players to managers, from boardroom to club departments and then align them and drive collaboration. Obviously you need to be technically capable as well but the big part is to be good with communication, understand the business model and drive that collaboration.”

Matt Roberts wrote his dissertation on the role and interviewed several sporting directors. One pointed out: “Being collaborative in a football environment doesn't always work because some people take advantage. Football is very much a control and command environment still... sometimes very much a bullying environment.”

Dan Ashworth, installed at Manchester United to address the issue of poor recruitment and join up departments, would disagree vehemently. His model would be authoritative but primarily cooperative.

“Ashworth very much sets up his ‘wheel’ as he calls it, and he’s at the centre of it,” says an executive with knowledge of how the former Newcastle, Brighton and England technical director functions.

“From there, you hire the best head coach, best head of recruitment, best head of academy etc and then you install the best processes: each individual spoke has its process dictated, ‘this is what scouting reports will look like etc’.”

Ashworth’s collaborative ‘wheel’ approach works well if you are the centre of that wheel, but with the gathering of big names, egos and salaries around him in Manchester United’s exec team, the club had yet to experience the benefits of that structure. He also had several new arrivals gunning for some of his powers and influence.

Reporting to him, Ashworth had former Southampton technical director Jason Wilcox. The former City Football Group (CFG) academy director arrived before Ashworth and then had his position at the club strengthened when Omar Berrada crossed Manchester to join as United’s CEO. The Wilcox-Berrada axis has steadily grown in influence, building on their previous relationship at CFG, and when Berrada took the driving seat to hire Ruben Amorim as the club’s new coach it further sidelined Ashworth. His taking the bull by the horns impressed Ratcliffe, who had really expected that from the man running his sporting department.

Whether by accident or by design, Ashworth’s role was being diminished while his reported recommendations for Ten Hag’s replacement (Eddie Howe, Gareth Southgate, Thomas Frank) failed to inspire Ratcliffe. Wilcox will assume many of Ashworth’s duties, who presumably won’t even be replaced.

Sir Jim, per multiple sources, was also irritated at the lack of data infrastructure at the club when he took over and then by Ashworth’s inability to improve it over the summer. Where other clubs are thriving thanks to their use of data, United’s minority owner sees it as inexcusable that the richest club in the richest league in the world can’t (or are yet to) build a top-class data operation to inform all decision-making, from academy recruitment all the way up to the hiring of a new coach. He is correct on that point, but you imagine Ashworth would rightly point out that six months is not long enough to right years of incompetence.

Indeed, one other report is that Ratcliffe bristled at Ashworth’s request to bring in a data consultancy to aid the coaching search. That would appear to prove that Ashworth was as unconvinced by the club’s data capabilities as anyone but, in the end, his request weakened his position further.

Given the disconnect on multiple levels, it is probably best for both parties to go their separate ways.

For United, the onus is now on how they finally build a structure befitting the club’s reputation and revenues without a highly-regarded builder, and with INEOS yet to prove they can generate success at any of their three football clubs.

For Ashworth, a new opportunity will be along shortly. Rest assured he will seek certain assurances from any future employer after his experience in Manchester.

Man City hearing has concluded

A big story by the Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan, who reports that the hearing into Manchester City’s 130 charges has now concluded.

Closing arguments were heard on Friday, having begun nearly three months ago on September 16, and the three-man panel hearing the case is expected to deliver a verdict early next year.

With the result likely to be appealed by one of the parties, many around football still expect this to drag on until the end of the season and possibly beyond, but much of the speculation surrounding the case is educated guesswork. The hearing itself has been shrouded in secrecy with few, if any, substantive leaks having been reported.

Manchester City deny all the charges. The rest of us wait.

Just for the Elliott

Charlton are embroiled in a bizarre legal battle with a namesake of one of their directors, former Chelsea and Celtic defender Paul Elliott.

A Manchester businessman also called Paul Elliott has launched a High Court claim against the club to reclaim an alleged debt of £500,000 related to his attempt to buy the League One club four years ago.

Elliott claims he lent Charlton £500,000 after agreeing to buy them from then owners, East Street Investments (ESI), with the money said to have been used to help with club's running costs, such as player and staff wages. Elliott's takeover attempt took place at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when Charlton's financial situation was precarious.

Charlton were relegated to League One when football returned after the first national lockdown and, after three months without any income, the loan was required to prevent them entering administration. Elliott's consortium failed the EFL's owners' and directors' test however, which led to a rival bid from Danish businessman Thomas Sandgaard being accepted by ESI in September 2020.

Sandgaard subsequently claimed that no new money had been put into the club that year, which Elliott is now contesting in the High Court. Reviled by the fans, Sandgaard sold Charlton to SE7 Partners last year without the matter being resolved.

To complicate matters further, the footballing Elliott joined the new Board as a director shortly afterwards. Charlton have said they are aware of the claim, but declined to comment.

O Fenomeno, dealmaker?

Those of you sad enough to join me in watching the Club World Cup draw on Friday were treated to three generations of the Trump family being slurped by Gianni Infantino, the usual terribly awkward banter that football’s elite administrative functions tend to provide and some glittering cameos from ex-pros.

Among those was Ronaldo, around whom momentum is building as he bids to become president of the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) in an election next year.

Interestingly, a FootBiz spy told us on Friday that Ronaldo would be heading to Beaverton, Oregon from Miami to be with Nike, his long-term sponsors.

Straight on the heels of his visit to Nike HQ came an announcement that the CBF had extended it’s 30-year partnership with the American sportswear giant until 2038.

The deal is worth $100m per year plus bonuses that could take it north of $150m in annual payments.

Is Ronnie already brokering deals or just a coincidence?

Liga MX owners set for vote

Owners of Liga MX clubs will meet on Friday to vote on a $1.22bn capital injection from Apollo.

The private equity giant has agreed a deal to invest in the league in return for a percentage of future commercial revenues, but clubs must agree to a number of modernising measures including the centralisation of broadcast rights, stricter corporate governance and stadium upgrades in order to receive their money.

While the vote is expected to pass easily, league president Juan Carlos Rodriguez is expected to go on a roadshow this week to convince those more on-the-fence owners to come onboard with the deal.

Silver lining for Reading

Reading hope their decision to allow manager Ruben Selles to join Hull City last week should enable the club to avoid a mass sale of players next month.

The League One club have been struggling to meet their operating costs since long before absentee owner Dai Yongge opted to reject a takeover bid from American businessman Rob Couhig in September, but pulling out of the deal led to the repayment of a £5m loan from the former Wycombe owner and the Royals are sustaining heavy losses.

Without receiving compensation for Selles, Reading were expecting they would be forced to sell players next month in order to pay the rest of the squad's wages. 

They are due their next tranche of EFL central funding in February so are confident of being able to get through the season, even if a takeover is not completed.

Selles has been replaced on a permanent basis by club legend Noel Hunt, who previously served as caretaker boss after Paul Ince’s departure. While the club are currently occupying the final playoff spot, the focus internally remains on avoiding relegation.

Hunt has signed a two-and-a-half year deal but is yet to hear from Yongge.