Crystal Clear
Amanda’s in the data room, there’s silence in the boardroom – and satisfaction in the dressing room ... LEE RYDER on another busy weekend at Newcastle United
As United beat Palace ON the pitch, Lee Ryder analyses the state of play OFF the pitch
NEWCASTLE United takeover talk continues to dominate in the world of the black and whites, with Mike Ashley ready to sell the club and move on after 10 years at St James’ Park. On the pitch, Newcastle are ticking along nicely, with Saturday’s win over Crystal Palace briefly lifting them to sixth. However, fans would love to see a new owner come in and offer Benitez a January transfer kitty, as well as taking a look at United’s operation behind the scenes. So, what’s the state of play?
After a weekend of fresh reports that Ashley is ready to sell, where exactly is the takeover at the moment and what talks are ongoing?
Amanda Staveley was not in attendance at Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace but the financier and her PCP Partners group remain in talks with United to buy the club.
A non-disclosure agreement was signed last week and the group are now at the due diligence stage of the deal.
They are presently in the “data room” which offers potential purchasers full access to the club’s books, and the next step will be making a formal offer as they weigh up the club’s worth in their eyes.
However, Mike Ashley’s solicitor Andrew Henderson has stated there are still other groups keen to buy the Magpies.
It’s been some week at St James’ Park so what is the feeling at the club right now?
Takeover talk has been quashed by the hierarchy in years gone by but there have been no denials from the boardroom this time around. In fact, Newcastle even went out of their way to play up talk that the club was for sale last week, with the news breaking on Monday night that Ashley is prepared to sell the club.
Since then, Andrew Henderson has released two statements, the first one read: “Our intentions are to see if the club can be bought by new ownership, potentially by Christmas.
“It would allow a diligence period to carry on, then hopefully by Christmas a sale could be concluded.”
Henderson then stated a few days later: “Since Monday, a number of additional parties have come forward which we believe to be credible. We are also continuing to engage with a number of parties with whom we had entered into negotiations prior to Monday’s announcement.”
So what will happen next and can we expect any breakthrough soon?
Amanda Staveley’s PCP Group are in a good position when it comes to the takeover and nothing should be read into her non-appearance at St James’ Park on Saturday.
With the deal now at the due diligence stage, it could take up to a month for PCP to make a decision before weighing up a formal offer.
The outcome of the interest from four other parties will also be determined as Newcastle chiefs analyse the serious players. How have the Sunday papers reported on the situation?
Our very own Sunday Sun reported that Staveley’s non-appearance at St James’ Park on Saturday was in no way a reflection of the current state of play in the takeover.
Staveley’s group are currently in the “data room” before weighing up a final bid.
The Sunday Mirror had a piece from John Richardson which says that Ashley wants to stay in football after Newcastle is sold.
A source close to Ashley said: “Some time in the future Mike wants to have another go as a club owner but he is talking about maybe rescuing a club in football’s lower reaches.
“He knows he’s not at the races when it comes to the big clubs.”
The Daily Express also makes a bold claim that Benitez is set for a whopping transfer kitty.
They report: “Benitez will be given substantial funds on new players, as much as £500m in the next two transfer windows, to turn Newcastle into title contenders.”
What’s the verdict from the dressing room on the takeover talk?
Jamaal Lascelles, DeAndre Yedlin and Mikel Merino all stopped in the mixed zone interview area at St James’ Park.
But the players are very much focused on getting results.
They know that, while a takeover deal is good news for the club, they will have to work hard to keep their places as the prospect of new signings goes up a notch.