Interesting the narrative around Ashworth in the media, which is wholly supportive of Newcastle from what I have seen. Compare it to the Real-Ronaldo-Slavery nonsense, that was lapped up by the media at the time. This is far more egregious. You could argue one summer transfer window is all a non-compete should reasonably cover, that gives Newcastle the chance to act on the work he has done on their behalf. Any more time than that and you could argue the game has moved on and they are preventing a reasonable request to move on with his career.
Wonder if these type of shenanigans could eventually lead to rules similar to the NFL, which don't permit blocking certain types of staff move.