Newcastle being bought by The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) shows intent from Eastern countries to invest in more European football clubs. Who exactly are they and will the takeover help the Toons improve?
In layman’s terms, the PIF is a fund that was established to serve as a broker to invest government funds into various projects, in this case, the Saudi Arabian Government. Their assets currently have a value of over $320billion, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman has now set his sights on purchasing Newcastle United for approximately £300m.
The deal, however, has been pushed back due to certain allegations against the Saudi’s, namely, piracy concerns over the streaming or airing of English Premier League football in the country. This may come as a big knock if the deal doesn’t go through, as some Tynesiders will see the takeover as progression and with progression also comes ambition.
Craig Hope, a North-East football reporter had this to report on the talk show, White and Sawyer, which airs on talkSport regarding the topic:
"What we are doing is providing two sides of the story. Sources on one side do not think this will be a problem, but other sources say it will be a problem, and as journalists we’re merely reporting all the information we can get. To give an honest answer, I don’t know if this takeover will go through. Only the Premier League know what they’re thinking. (Via: talkSport)"
If or when the deal goes through, Newcastle will be considered one of the richest clubs in the world. But with all that money, unfortunately also comes cutbacks, as the new owners would more than likely want to get some fresh and talented faces in at Newcastle.
Mauricio Pochettino, is he the right man for the job?
The former Tottenham manager has been out of work since last year November 2019, and the new owners are rumoured to want to bring a new manager on board with a decent track record. They have identified the Argentine at their priority target, but have not successfully recruited him as of yet.
Pochettino is famously known for getting Tottenham to the UEFA Champion League final in the 2018/2019 season as well as having a keen eye for developing young talent.
The downfall is, no matter how good of a manager Pochettino is, unfortunately, he has no trophy’s to show for it. Usually, owners or clubs that spend huge sums of money into facilities, transfers, players and other staff want immediate results.
If the Prince of Saudi has the vision and patience to help build up a strong team, take a season, let the players adapt to playing styles and new changes in the dressing room as well as changes on the pitch? Then Pochettino is the right manager for the job.
A new City in Manchester
When there is a major injection of money coming into a club there is bound to be new players coming in and older average players going the opposite direction.
Manchester City being taken over by the Abu Dhabi Group in 2008 for £210m sent shock waves through the EPL. It’s just Man City everybody thought, yet, after the purchase, immediately Robinho was bought from Real Madrid for £32.5m a record club fee at the time, stating their intentions.
Between July 2009 and August 2010, Man City had acquired the services of Carlos Teves, David Silva, Yaya Touré, and Mario Balotelli. In December 2009 Mark Hughs was given the boot and Roberto Mancini was assigned the new manager.
City only won their first silverware 3 years later in the 2010/2011 season when they had beaten Stoke City in the FA Cup final. Should the Argentinan manager get the job, he should be given some time to prove himself, build a team, and attempt to win some silverware.
Philippe Coutinho
Is there any doubt when it comes to the Brazilian, rumours have been flying around like crazy. Bayern Munich looks uninterested in keeping a hold of the “Little Magician” and Barcelona also look to take a loss as they prefer to put him on the transfer market.
Coutinho didn’t do half bad at Munich, he showed signs of brilliance in patches but just couldn’t get a foothold into the team. In 22 matches played, starting 15 of them, the Brazilian contributed by scoring 8 goals and assisting 6 which is pretty modest, considering it is his first season in Germany.
Making a move to Newcastle would be a fresh start for the midfield maestro and he can provide the quality and experience that’s needed. According to reports, Arsenal has also been in contact with Coutinho and he may just opt for a move to the London side where he can fit in with better calibre of players.
Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaqiri
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Bought in 2018 for just £13.5m, most fans thought it was a real bargain buy. Shaqiri went on to feature 24 times for the reds that season scoring 6 and providing 3 assists.
Now Shaqiri has only featured in 10 matches for Liverpool this season so far. Unable to dislodge Mohamed Salah from his throne as well as Jurgen Klopp very rarely substituting the Egyptian, the Switzerland International needs to make a move and put in a transfer request. Since Newcastle has already come knocking it should be a win-win situation for both parties involved.
Gonzalo Higuaín
This would be a bad move for the Juventus forward, besides the fact that he is already 32-years-old, this transfer would not make sense for the player and Newcastle. It would look like a desperate buy and Higuaín has already proven to the world that he is not cut out for the EPL.
If Newcastle does purchase the forward then they are not showing any ambition, and the club will eventually move in the wrong direction. They need young, dynamic players that can make a difference and grow with the club.
The correct staff and transfers can make a world of difference!
For Newcastle to be successful, the correct transfer policies and recruitment methods should be put into place from day one.
Newcastle needs a competent manager with skilled assistants, as well as having a say on the kind of players he wants to be brought in. All strategies should align within the direction of which the club will be moving.
An excellent example of this is Liverpool. They prefer to buy young capable players who can play in multiple positions, which has benefitted them immensely.
This outlook hinges, however, on the goals and objectives of the potential new owners, and their willingness to want to achieve something great as a club and in the Premier League, perhaps even Europe.