England wing Chris Ashton looks all set to leave Northampton when his contract expires in the New Year. Saints’ director of rugby, Jim Mallinder says Ashton has been reluctant to discuss the possibility of renewing the terms he currently has with the club.
Indeed, as far as those looking at real money games are concerned, Ashton looks likely to be heading for Saracens in 2012, following repeated speculation that the potential move to Vicarage Road is the very thing that his stalling his negotiations at Franklin’s Gardens.
Speaking to BBC Look East, Mallinder said: “There’s not an offer on the table, because his agent doesn't want to talk to us. We've not had discussions and I think his mind is elsewhere. If he wanted to stay, we'd talk to him.”
Saints chairman, Leon Barnwell has previously admitted that the club were not prepared to “throw money” at Ashton in order to keep him at the club.
Mallinder added: “If any player wants to go, for whatever reason, whether that's moving to London, or a massive financial offer, we're not going to stand in their way. We'll shake their hand and we'll get players who want to play for Northampton.”
And Mallinder has fired a warning in Ashton’s direction: he will have to work hard if he is to have any hope of getting back into the Northampton starting XV, following his suspension.
There is stiff competition in the side for him. Fellow wing, James Elliot has scored five tries in six appearances for the Saints this season, while Vasily Artemyev, the Russian international, has scored seven in nine.
“He's got to fight for his position on the field like everybody else and, at the moment, our wingers are doing really well,” Mallinder said.
The 24-year-old, Ashton has been one of Northampton’s star players in recent seasons, clocking up almost 100 appearances for the side. In that time, he has scored an impressive 442 points, including 88 tries.
To Rugby Union fans, however, he was a relatively unknown player up until very recently, having begun his career in Rugby League with the Wigan Warriors. While there, he made over 50 appearances, scoring 120 points from the position of full-back.
Ashton won four caps for the England Rugby League side during his time with Wigan, scoring 3 tries.
But as with many successful Rugby League full-backs down the years, such as Jason Robinson, Ashton made a seamless transition across codes into Union.
It was the Northampton Saints who gave him his chance, before the England set-up became aware of his talents.
Since his international debut in 2010, he has gone on to win 18 caps for the national team, rising to prominence in last year’s Six Nations where he attracted controversy due to his swallow dive celebration.
He was part of the England squad that disappointed hugely at this year’s World Cup.
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