Wolves Supremo Kevin Thelwell in the Frame for Key FA Role After Playing Huge Role in Promotion

Kevin Thelwell has been announced as a potential candidate to replace Dan Ashworth as technical director for the Football Association.

The Daily Mail reported that Thelwell, currently Wolves' sporting director, is now the leading candidate for the role. The 44-year-old became the academy manager at Molineux in 2008 and has also been the head of recruitment in that time.

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Thelwell became Wolves' sporting director in September 2016, and the club have experienced marked improvement since. Just one season after his appointment, the club secured their return to the top flight for the first time in six years. 

The 44-year-old was responsible for recruitment at Wolves, and he has been praised for his role in signing players including Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho. However, his new potential role at the FA will feature less recruitment and more emphasis on developing facilities and the infrastructure at the FA to improve the current personnel. 

Thelwell will have a difficult job replacing the outgoing director. Ashworth was credited with creating a development plan dubbed 'England DNA', aimed at improving both the men's and woman's football teams through a variety of methods including increased funding in grass roots football. 

While at the FA, Ashworth oversaw World Cup wins for the national men’s Under-17s and Under-20s sides, while the Under-19s become European champions and the Under-21s reached the semi-finals of their own European Championship.

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Ashworth himself is set to join Brighton in the spring of 2019. It was previously anticipated that former Manchester City sporting director and current Tottenham academy chief Mike Rigg would be the front runner to replace him – and although he does remain in contention, Thelwell appears to have leapfrogged him.