An intriguing piece has emerged from the i, who reveal how Newcastle’s public stand-off over Man Utd target Dan Ashworth played into our hands perfectly behind the scenes.
They report that while Jim Ratcliffe was moaning about our compensation demands for Ashworth and working on a compromise, our Saudi owners were working with Darren Eales in the background to secure Paul Mitchell; who hasn’t cost us a penny (barring the wages to follow) after departing AS Monaco last year.
Not only that, the i reveal that Mitchell’s surprise appointment – which could only be confirmed once Ashworth’s move to Man Utd was announced – and ‘free agent’ allowed him to explore potential signings for Newcastle well before his official arrival, with the transfer expert thought to be ‘working on potential deals’ in the background.
So, not only have we received £10m for Ashworth – £8m more than we paid for him two years ago – our ability to keep Mitchell’s exciting appointment a secret has given us a head start in the market, where the 42-year-old has a superb record of unearthing gems after signing Sadio Mane, Heung-Min Son, Kieran Trippier and Christopher Nkunku for a combined £45m earlier in the their careers.
With a transfer expert in, the Ashworth saga over, our PSR worries lifted and reports of over £100m to spend, things are looking up for Newcastle heading into a huge July and August at St James’ Park.
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