The ‘Big Six’ aren’t happy with Newcastle’s takeover
Newcastle United were not involved in a meeting between the 19 other top-flight teams as the Premier League explained the decision to allow the £305million Saudi-led takeover.
It is thought that clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal have been against the takeover since it was first suggested.
According to Sportsmail, a Premier League executive has said that it all links back to the ‘green-eyed monster’ and ‘self-interest’ as the Magpies are promised significant investment from their new owners as they target silverware in the coming years.
During a meeting with Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and chairman Gary Hoffman, it is thought that United, Spurs and Everton were the most ‘vocal’ clubs on the call, with some believing that their annoyance is based on the danger that Newcastle could now pose to their hopes of challenging for Champions League places.
While it is widely regarded that Newcastle will strengthen in January, which could evidently have a positive impact on their current relegation battle, it is also believed that the so-called ‘smaller’ clubs are somewhat relaxed about the deal.
Additionally, there are suggestions that the six-time FA Cup winners are lining up a lucrative shirt sponsor which would increase they revenue instantly – as well as expanding the scope for spending under Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
Although the Magpies weren’t present on the call – which has surprised many people – the point of it was to allow for an open conversation amongst the other clubs, which would have been difficult had Newcastle executives been present.
“This is mainly an issue for the bigger clubs, although there are concerns over the immediate impact on the relegation battle,’ an executive from one side explained.
“They are nervous that precious Champions League places have suddenly got harder to come by. A lot of the smaller clubs are pretty relaxed about it.”
A signifiant and important take from the call was that the Premier League reiterated their stance of having no other choice but to approve the deal once they received legal confirmation that separation between the Saudi state and the Public Investment Fund – who now own 80 per cent of Newcastle – had occurred.
However, the Premier League do have the capacity to step in should they suspect that Saudi government or Crown Prince Mohammad Bin-Salman – the chairman of PIF – become directly involved.
Anger amongst the other top-flight outfits has seemingly occurred because of a lack of communication from the Premier League regarding the takeover, with some clubs having to rebuff claims from their own fanbases that they had played a role in the decision-making process, which was conducted by the Premier League board.
Related links:
- Amnesty International demand Premier League meeting over Newcastle takeover
- Newcastle LGBTQ+ group defend statement, say they were put in ‘impossible position’ by Saudi takeover
- Newcastle United planning to raid Man United’s bench for four players in January window
