This week, Newcastle United’s prospective takeover by a Saudi Arabian consortium has taken a fresh twist with the Premier League’s CEO Richard Masters publicly commenting on the matter.
He was appearing in a virtual House of Commons where he was grilled by MPs about the £300m deal. He didn’t give much away as per usual – but interestingly did suggest that the process was nearing an end.
One word to describe Mike Ashley's tenure at Newcastle?
Historic
Mediocre
Disastrous
Underrated
And now The Athletic’s football investigations reporter Matt Slater has chimed in with his verdict following the remarks.
In response to two questions from supporters, the journalist said:
I still think it will happen but the Saudis have done their best to %$&* it up
— Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) June 30, 2020
Don't know…I heard it was very close on Friday. Saudi's response to the WTO report hasn't helped, though.
— Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) June 30, 2020
Firstly, Slater sticks his neck out on the line and makes a bold claim. He believes the takeover will still happen despite the delays and that’s even with the Saudi’s potentially messing things up on their end.
He then adds weight to his argument by suggesting that the deal striking an agreement was “very close” on Friday last week, which ties in with other reports suggesting that it would be ‘days not weeks’ as we head into July.
This all ties in with Masters’ comments on wanting the deal to be concluded soon, so maybe the Magpies faithful are finally set to receive news in the near future.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Steve Bruce’s side face third-placed Leicester City as they embark on the final seven games of the 2019/20 campaign. Many will be hoping the new season comes with Mike Ashley out the door and Amanda Staveley’s group at the helm instead.