Last night Sky Sports’ Keith Downie appeared on the Ever More YouTube channel to talk about the day the takeover went through which was one year ago on Friday. Time flies when you’re having fun.
Downie has become somewhat of a figurehead for the takeover as it was his reporting on that fateful day that we were all watching, and watching him get emotional as he finally got to read out the statement confirming the takeover endeared him to the Toon Army in a way most journalists will never experience.
Since that day, Downie has appeared on several fan-based YouTube channels and podcasts to relive the day over and over again and thankfully it seems like he’s not sick of talking about it as he gleefully regaled the Ever More lads with the tales from the 48 hours leading up to the announcement. How he had all the details the day before but kept it to himself because of the many false dawns that came before. The email which landed in his junk folder that would have given him all the confidence he needed to know 100% that the takeover was on.
While these stories are all great, the interview took a turn towards the end when asked about future transfers, particularly the likelihood of James Maddison coming to Newcastle in the near future.
Could We Land Maddison Without European Football?
Yes
Nah
You could see the light drain from Chris’s eyes when Downie said: “Maddison. Do you know what? You’re not going to want to hear this, but I don’t think it’s going to happen”.
The audible sigh and the sight of Chris’s soul leaving his body was likely a fair representation of how many fans will have felt when they heard that. However, Downie did make some good points, stating that he believes that Newcastle were led down the garden path with the Maddison deal in the Summer and that if he were to leave Leicester, it would be for a club playing European football.
It’s hard to argue with the logic there, but it doesn’t make it less of a kick in the teeth. But, as the saying goes – football is a funny old game, so let’s not rule anything out yet.
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