Can Newcastle do a Manchester City?
CLUB’S IMMEDIATE GOAL SHOULD BE SURVIVAL IN LEAGUE
Ihave a word of warning following Newcastle United’s £305 million takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — money doesn’t always buy you happiness.
The ‘Toon Army’ — now armed with a war chest of £190 million and linked to some of the best players — are suddenly harbouring hopes of becoming the biggest football club in the world. Fans are demanding players of the ilk of Messi and Ronaldo don the famous black and white kit and be managed by someone as classy as Klopp or Guardiola. They have not been English champions since 1927 and the last trophy they won was the FA Cup in 1955 but with a wave of the magic wand they want that to change immediately much like Roman Abramovich changed Chelsea’s fortunes when he bought the club in 2003 and then elevated the Londoners with regular sweeps of his chequebook.
But the reality is that Newcastle currently sit 19th in the English Premier League and have only taken three points from their opening seven games of the 2021/22 season. In fact they are yet to win a match in any competition and have a goal difference of minus eight. They’re running the very real risk becoming the biggest and richest club … in the lowly Championship.
Newfound wealth
There are still three months to go before the January transfer window opens where they will be able to splash the cash and bring in much-needed reinforcements but there is no telling how far adrift they could be from safety by the time they can start wheeling and dealing.
The team is showing no signs of improving under a manager who, following a poll, 94 per cent of fans want out. What’s more, with their newfound wealth, they’ll suddenly find that transfer fees for potential new signings will sky rocket — but the St James’ Park club must bolster their squad in several key areas if they are to avoid the dreaded drop and build for a brighter future.
But as I say, money doesn’t guarantee success — my club Everton have been bankrolled by billionaire Farhad Moshiri for several years now and to his credit he has spent big and brought in high-profile signings in an effort to crack the top four. The best finish under his tutelage has been 7th. Now, Amanda Staveley, who headed the Saudi consortium backed by PIF, has declared that the team can become as big as Manchester City.
They have the potential but this will not happen until the structure of the club is addressed.
Newcastle suddenly have the spending power to match City and even Paris Saint-Germain. So, will they become like either of those two clubs? Time will tell but as dull as it may sound, their immediate goal has to be survival — they simply must remain in the Premier League. Upgrading their Darsley Park training headquarters will be on the agenda as will improving their academy and repairs to the stadium but the new owners should invest gradually and not expect an immediate transformation of fortunes.