Newcastle United’s new owners have said they “absolutely” want to challenge for the Premier League title after a Saudi-led consortium completed it’s £300m takeover of the club.
The controversial deal had been delayed by almost 18 months due to a dispute between beIN Sports and the Saudis over illegal streaming.
Prior to the takeover being approved, Amnesty International told the Premier League that Saudi Arabia’s human rights record should be considered. They accused the Arab kingdom of trying to “sportswash their appalling human rights record with the glamour of top-flight football”.
However, such issues have been far from the minds of many Newcastle supporters who had been hoping for a takeover for years.
The Magpies currently sit second from bottom in the table and the previous owner Mike Ashley was deeply unpopular among the fanbase.
After the deal was confirmed, Newcastle’s all-time top goalscorer Alan Shearer joined thousands of fans in celebrating as he claimed: “We can dare to hope again”.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which now has an 80% stake in the club, has assets of £250bn – sparking hopes among supporters that the club will sign a high profile manager and some of the most talented players in the world.
Amanda Staveley, who now sits on the board as chief executive officer of PCP Capital Partners, told Sky Sports News that challenging for the Premier League title is “absolutely” part of the consortium’s long-term plan.
She said: “It’s an incredibly competitive league, Premier League football is the best in the world and Newcastle United is the best team in the world, and we want to see it get those trophies, obviously.
“Top of the league, in Europe. But to get trophies (takes) investment, patience, time, and we want everybody just to work with us to build the club into what it needs to be.”
Asked about signing high-profile players, she continued: “We’re really excited about strengthening the squad, but we have to work within a financial fair play, and we have to make sure that this is done over a longer term.
“But you can be assured that we want to invest at every level and we obviously want to get the best squad we possibly can.”
BBC Sports
