Former England striker hails 'phenomenal' Newcastle United appointment

Former England striker Darren Bent has labelled Newcastle United’s appointment of Dan Ashworth as sporting director as ‘phenomenal’. Ashworth’s arrival at St. James’ Park was finally confirmed on Monday after months of talks over a compensation package with Brighton & Hove Albion, subject to Premier League approval.

Ashworth resigned from his role at Brighton back in February, where he had been for three years following his departure at the FA. The 51-year-old has played a key role in the Seagulls establishing themselves as a Premier League side in recent seasons, with their ninth-place finish last term their best so far.

Ashworth oversaw the appointment of highly sought-after English manager Graham Potter, as well as impressive signings such as Yves Bissouma, Adam Webster, Tariq Lamptey and Marc Cucurella, among others. He also excelled during his time as sporting director at West Bromwich Albion, with the Baggies enjoying some of their best Premier League years under his guidance.

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Speaking on talkSPORT, Bent could not hide his admiration for Newcastle’s appointment, claiming he is the perfect man to help oversee the recruitment side of things at the club with such huge financial backing.

He said: “That is massive for Newcastle, because he is phenomenal – Dan Ashworth. The transformations he has done, what he does, some of the targets he has identified, the job he did at Brighton. That is massive and he worked for the FA as well.

“It is what Newcastle needed as well because I know they have all the money in the world, but you need somebody there who can build a club, identify the right targets and the fact they’ve got Dan Ashworth,