"Rubbish!" - Amanda Staveley denies Newcastle claims and reveals PIF offer in big interview

Amanda Staveley has rubbished claims that there was a fallout prior to her and Mehrdad Ghodoussi's departure, also denying suggestions that they always planned to move on and invest elsewhere after overseeing the Saudi takeover.

This comes from her in-depth and emotional chat with The Athletic's George Caulkin (see full quotes below), where she openly discusses her time at the club, the truth behind her exit, why staying wouldn't work and her plans moving forward.

The piece also reveals that PIF governor and club chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan offered Staveley the chance to take on a 'full-time executive role'. However, Staveley “felt that the right thing for Newcastle was to bring in someone with the right experience”, which is why she kindly rejected and pushed to appoint Darren Eales. With a CEO then in place, the club built a new corporate structure behind the scenes to oversee so many of the departments Staveley and Ghodoussi had handled alone in the months following the takeover in 2021.

Asked if it was always the plan for her and Mehrdad to leave a few years on from the takeover and look for the next project, she added: "No, that’s absolute rubbish. I’m heartbroken not to be there because I love the club more than anything; the fans, the community, everything. And I would wish to be there every day, but it’s also not fair. The club’s management team need to have the chance to deliver their business plan. We did a great job and it’s been a privilege to be part of it, but they need to be left to do their jobs, too.

“Maybe we were right for Newcastle for those few years. Maybe that’s what they needed. But I’d be useless just standing there doing nothing and it wouldn’t be fair on Darren if we’re always there telling them what we think. There’s processes and accountability and they’ll figure it out.

“I knew what was coming in terms of me leaving but the fans and PIF deserved every focus of mine. Had I left before (the PSR deadline) and we’d breached, then that would have been bad. It was very, very difficult, but I was determined to make sure Darren has a clear runway.”

Staveley then reflected on what life was REALLY like when she and her husband first got to work almost three years ago. “One of the things we loved when we first took over was that we did pretty much every job," she said. "There just weren’t any staff so we were doing the commercial stuff, the director of football stuff, the buying, PR, fan engagement. We were doing the role of the chief executive and the Premier League stuff, constantly fighting while trying to build a relationship with other clubs.

“It was exhausting but you put everything into it because that was what it needed and it was what the fans deserved. And I feel bad because Lexi (Alexander), my wonderful son, suffered for three years because he didn’t get the attention he should have had, although he now loves Newcastle as much as we do.

“As we grew, we brought in an executive team and Darren Eales (the chief executive), but we were very much at the coalface because Newcastle was still under-resourced. As the club continues to expand it needs a management team that can be left to do their jobs. I’ve read on social media that there’s been some kind of fallout but that’s rubbish. I love my colleagues. It just became unfair for us to constantly be there."

Staveley was then asked why she couldn't remain at the club in a slightly more relaxed role, explaining why her battle with Huntington's disease would've made that tough. On this, she added:  “I couldn’t do that, and, I’ll be honest, I have a degenerative disease in Huntington’s and I need to work.

“There’s actually some wonderful things that have come out about Huntington’s and a potential cure or the slowing down of the disease and its symptoms but every day is precious and I don’t want to waste time in case I don’t have a huge amount of time. I need to keep my brain active.

“I always try to see it as a positive. Part of my disease is actually my superpower because it allows me to think in a way that other people just don’t think. I have incredible numeracy, I can analyse complex problems very quickly. And I hold myself to a very high standard. It’s my nature to be involved and that’s probably not fair on Newcastle’s executive team.”

Asked if Newcastle are now in safe hands with PIF and the Reuben family, her response was clear: “Oh yes, incredibly safe. The Reuben family are like my family, and PIF are as well. Yasir is one of my best friends. They will treasure it as much as I treasure Newcastle. The club has all the ingredients and the thing I love about the Geordies is that they know how to stand up for themselves.”

On her bold claims that we'll one day life the title, Staveley didn't take a backwards step: “Winning the Premier League? God yeah! We don’t have the distraction of Europe this season and I know that’s hard for the fans, but it gives us a chance to get everything stable. We can really have a run at it.” Even now, everything is “we” and “us”.

Last but not least, Caulking asked about reports linking her and PCP with a minority stake in Tottenham, with Monaco also reported as another club of interest. Staveley was unable to say too much, but added: "My preference would have been to stay with Newcastle, but life doesn’t always work out exactly how you want it to. Nothing is going to replicate that. I fell in love with Newcastle, the club and the people and that can’t change, but I didn’t want to get in Newcastle’s way. It’s got to be about what’s best for Newcastle.

“Mehrdad and I are keen to be hands-on. We’re hard-working people, I love to be very busy and to engage and I love football. Very sadly, we have to move on to other projects and that might involve us taking a stake in another club or buying another club and that’s difficult. But it’s possible.

“I don’t know what my future holds, but you can never move on from the love I have for Newcastle and I would love to come back for matches. I’m a Geordie now. I’m a Yorkshire Geordie, but I will always have that chemistry and that love.”

Thank you for everything, Amanda. You'll be missed, but I dread to think where we'd be today without the hard work, persistence and care you've shown over the past few years.