Newcastle United will be hoping sporting director Dan Ashworth can continue his fine record of spotting talent after one of his previous buys reached the World Cup final this week. Brighton and Hove Albion will have a representative in the flagship game for the first time ever after Argentina and Alexis Mac Allister reached Sunday's showpiece after Tuesday's win over Croatia.
Mac Allister was a virtually unknown midfielder, playing in has native Argentina, when then-Brighton chief Ashworth and his team of Seagulls scouts spotted something they liked. Despite having no competition for his signature, a team of representatives from Brighton jetted to south America personally to seal a deal.
After managing his growth on the south coast, Mac Allister was eased into life at the Amex Stadium and is now a regular at the Premier League club. This Sunday the 23-year-old could win the greatest prize in world football to add to his fine start in England.
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Speaking about his move to Brighton, Mac Allister this week told Sky Sports. "I was playing with Argentinos Juniors and Brighton came to Argentina.
"They spoke with me and my agent, and said I was one of the best U21 players with the best numbers - because Brighton work a lot with numbers and statistics. I made the right choice."
Ashworth is now eyeing young gems for Newcastle's youth setup. The Magpies have already added the likes of Alex Murphy, Charlie McArthur, Jordan Hackett and Jude Smith to their youth ranks, as well as Aussie prospect Garang Kuol.
Newcastle's sporting director has history when it comes to signing young players who go on to enjoy fantastic careers. Ben White emerged through the Brighton ranks while Ashworth worked at the club before moving on for £50m, while Steve Alzate, Robert Sanchez, Jeremy Sarmiento, Kaoru Mitoma and Aaron Connolly have all become full internationals.
So good is his ability to spot a player, Ashworth even wanted to sign Nemanja Matic before he made his name at Chelsea. Watching him in Slovenia while working for West Brom, the Newcastle chief knew he was a top player from a young age.
Speaking to Chronicle Live at a recent round-table event, Ashworth said: "Our [Newcastle's] philosophy is to invest in our Academy and in exciting young players for the future, as well as in players required to make an immediate impact in the first team."
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