Newcastle United : A Takeover For The Good? Or A Similar Sight?

The past week has been really a rollercoaster on Tyneside. As by now you all know that the famous English club Newcastle United have been acquired by a state led company in Public Investment Fund or PIF. Which is stated in Saudi Arabia and led by the crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman. Previously, English billionaire Mike Ashley owned majority stakes of the club. Which has been bought off him by the PIF. A total of 300 million pounds. In the agreement, it showed that the state of Saudi Arabia or the royal family will not play any part in the club decisions. Mohammad Bin Salman's net worth is above 323 billion euros. Which is enormous when it comes to the next most rich club owner, Sheikh Mansour. Who's at 21 billion euros. Bin Salman being the next in line for the king of Saudi Arabia, has a very big influence. Also as a major part of PIF, a lot of decisions regarding the club will go through him. Lets discuss about where this club can land in the future.

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First of all this purchase has it's purpose. Football is a very productive business in today's world. And in this business if you invest heavily, you are promised high profits. And Newcastle is already an enough famous club. It has a global fanbase. So the appeal is there. A global audience means a lot of money. So that's why instead of buying a Saudi club which has no audience for revenue, investing in a European club is more sensible. That's why when Mike Ashley put the club on sale, Saudi were driven to buy this club. Not only business but this purchase also has it's diplomatic reasons. You see the main three business and state rivals of Saudi Arabia are Qatar and UAE. UAE based owners have already bought Manchester City, which is a powerhouse today. By using personal wealth which prohibited according to the FFP. But Manchester City somehow launder the money through some small investor companies to make a fool out of FFP. Just last year they even scarcely got out of a case filed by FFP complaining they're breaking the rules. And Qatar based Billionaire Nasser Al Khelaifi has bought PSG. He has also splashed money into the club by laundering it through his Oil company, QNB. So Saudi Arabia were poised to step in the game. And with Newcastle they did.

PIF will more or less be influenced by the Saudi royal family and Bin Salman especially. No matter how many documents are filed, everyone understands that the influence is there. And according to FFP, Newcastle can be allocated a total of 200 million pounds in transfer budget. Now if Bin Salman and the team of directors who will eventually run the club in this new tenure, can go two ways. One, spoil the market and flood it with Arabian cash and buy a multi million euro star. Which will do the team no good. But raise a lot of eyebrows. The other two clubs I've spoken about previously have been that way. And so they're still failing. What Newcastle can do now is first of all get rid of Steve Bruce. And get a good manager. A manager who can build a team. On which the foundation of future success will stand. During the takeover, big names like Antonio Conte, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Graham Potter were in the list of possible recruits. Among them Antonio Conte has turned down the possibility of managing Newcastle. And among others, Lampard has the best chances. According to recent news he is also keen to manage Newcastle. He and Graham Potter are the kind of coach Newcastle needs now. Someone who can work with mediocre players. And can attract star players to join them at Newcastle. Newcastle itself is a historic club. But a club fighting relegation isn't something to look forward to for any star player. Also, Newcastle can't just go and buy a brand new starting eleven for the club. They have to get them one by one. Lampard has already built a team out of youth and experience at Chelsea, and also has attracted world talents to the club. And Thomas Tuchel is reaping the rewards. And Graham Potter at Brighton is also doing a tremendous job. This is something Newcastle can look forward to. They would want to build a team. Use those 200 million and make some sensible signings. Like 5-6 players. Impactful players that can bring a difference. This way in a few years time they will be ready to challenge for titles. Become the regular heavyweight which they used to be in their heydays.

Newcastle is a club of huge stature and enriched history. Unlike Manchester City and PSG, Newcastle were a very strong and big team in Europe, early in this millennium. The legacy of Alan Shearer has it's own fanbase. Many many people have started watching football by watching Alan Shearer. And lastly. We all want Newcastle to succeed. A club like this has suffered too much in the last 14 years. May Saint James's Park be great again. May the champions league anthem play again on Tyneside. The premier league has a another possible contender. This to warn the rest, Newcastle is coming.