It has been a refreshing few weeks where Newcastle have had success on the pitch and takeover talk had mainly ground to a halt. Points accrued to safety though naturally brings it back into focus, with the club difficult to sell while it is unclear which division we are playing in; moving towards safety means genuine hope can return that a deal can de done.
Is Ashley finally in a position sell?
An interesting article from the Telegraph was published last week suggesting the takeover is very much back on now we are heading to safety. All the reasons of six months ago to sell still remain for Ashley: He doesn’t want to invest the funds to compete, he can make a profit on the sale and he has ultimately not been successful. Once safety is confirmed he can again ask for a price above market value but hopefully this time a deal will be done.
One thing to consider though is that the transfer deadline moves forward this year to early August this year, so we really need this confirmed by the start of July, if we are able to get the benefits on the pitch and in the transfer market. The win over Huddersfield could be even bigger if you consider that fact, it gives us the option to open takeover talks with interested parties a little earlier than planned.
Two ‘new’ parties interested?
In the same Telegraph article, it was suggested that two new parties have expressed an interest in buying the club. We are rightly cynical now as Newcastle fans on all this, so to me the likelihood is that this is a PR stunt from the Ashley camp to drum up interest in the sale again now we are likely to be in the top flight again next year. The chances of someone not coming forward six months ago and now buying the club are low, which brings us back to PCP and Amanda Staveley.
Staveley back in the reckoning?
I still think there’s legs in the interest from PCP. It seemed to go sour though the media but PCP still said they were interested and never pulled out publically. Part of the deal was to be funded by the London based Reuben brothers who since January have embarked on a property investment venture with PCP. Amanda Staveley wants to buy a football club and has for a long time. Liverpool and Spurs were targets but aren’t for sale and only NUFC are available in the Premiership with the infrastructure to break into the top 6/7. It is just a gut feeling but I think there is more on PCP and Newcastle to come over the coming months.
The takeover has been a long running saga that has to come to head in the summer. Ashley has to sell and quickly, while the club has a world class manager and premier league safety, again without him investing this year. Rafa will not wait long and his future is tied up in all his too. With one year left on his contract, let’s hope we have new owners, some investment and a new deal for Benitez come kick off in August.
What do you reckon folks – Do you see it happening this summer?
