Newcastle United’s prospective Saudi takeover continues to trundle on as we quickly approach mid-June. It means the Premier League have been mulling over the deal for around two months now – and still, we’re none the wiser.
There have been numerous reports emerging over the past few weeks that have supposedly put the deal in doubt, the most prominent of which is the Guardian’s revelation into a World Trade Organisation investigation on pirate streaming service beoutQ.
Who will be in charge of Newcastle come the 20/21 season?
The Saudis
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They claim that the Saudi state is behind the illegal broadcast of Premier League matches, so no wonder the PL have stalled on a decision thus far.
However, in more encouraging news, The Athletic’s George Caulkin has delivered an update from the people surrounding the bid. In response to one supporter on Twitter, he said:
Quite a few! My confidence is irrelevant really. In terms of length of time it’s taken, that horrible sense of limbo, I can’t say I’m overjoyed. The people I speak to are the same – but they’re also still convinced it will happen, however long it takes the PL to get there.
— George Caulkin (@GeorgeCaulkin) June 9, 2020
Caulkin claims that no matter how long the top-flight big wigs take in their deliberations of the takeover, those involved still remain “convinced it will happen”.
This is hugely positive as the would-be owners are clearly confident that they’ll be in charge of the Magpies in the near future, which for us means no more Mike Ashley – at long last.
Understandably, there has been a feeling of anxiety and panic the longer this takes to go through, especially with a return to action on the horizon.
But following these nine remaining matches, there is a whole summer to sort everything out. Players, managers and staff can all be decided then.