The Nigerian consortium bidding to buy Newcastle United Football club has warned they are ready to look elsewhere if a deal to buy Newcastle United is unsuccessful.
There has been news that African businessmen have put in a £200M for the club, which is blow Mike Ashley’s asking price, but the group are unhappy with the response from Newcastle so far.
Chris Nathaniel, of NVA Management, who is fronting the deal, has already said they have bid £350M for the club, and says they are even ready to pull out and look at other Premier League clubs, if they are unsuccessful in their negotiations.
Nathaniel told The Sun today:
“We’re talking to possible manager and key personnel for the club,” “Once that is sorted, we’ll fine-tune our offer.”
“We’re prepared to look at other options if our bid for Newcastle is not successful. I’ve been approached by several top Premier League club offering us opportunities to buy their clubs.”
“People are having a go because the businessmen have not made themselves known. But I can assure everyone they are astute, respectable and wealthy men.”
We have no idea now if this bid is for real, and it appears also that the South African deal may also be bogus.
We think this bid, from what Nathaniel has said, is too much about Nigeria looking good by managing a famous club, and not enough about the Newcastle United Football club.
We expect to get some valid news, probably on Wednesday, about how many offers have officially been made for Newcastle, and hopefully who they are from.
That news may actually be true.
Comments welcome.
20 comments so far
Marty-TOON RISING
Oct 6, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Comment #1Probably wont happen but i reckon it could be a good deal if they buy.
Loads of strong athletes to choose from for the NUFC squad.
Let them buy if it aint bogus and get MA out of town.
Daniel
Oct 6, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Comment #2They’d have no other choice but too look for other clubs if there offer was unsuccessful…
Sounds a bit dodgy to me.
ToonKing
Oct 6, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Comment #3It’s Ameobi, he’s behind the Nigerian bid!!!
Jose said it so it’s true.
Oba one konobi
Oct 6, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Comment #4As fans we only get what we wish for. We have no control on who buys the club. I fear we have already made a grave mistake by demanding MA sell. I have a feeling that whoever buys in WILL NOT be like Chelsea or Man City and throw money at our situation unless we TRULY have a world class manager (not KK) Chelsea brought in the special one but Ranari was in place, arabs brought into MH a promising manager with a big future in front of him. What is our investers buying into? No star players, interm manager, not enough staff, 5th highest wage bill in Prem, fans wanting local staff, not giving outsiders a chance or time to succed, no real youth set up, etc. How much will it really cost an investor to make us happy. I say 680 million at least! £300 for club, 80 invested in stadia, 45 to clear out squad and start a fresh, 200 in playing staff over 2 1/2 yrs, 25 for a world class manager with staff on long contract 35 on academy to provide a future for the club asset wise.
Too much money in my opinion!
Sav
Oct 6, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Comment #5Wouldn’t surprise me if we find ourselves stuck with Ashley for quite some time yet. Both named bids look dubious and Wise and Co. got short shrift in the Middle East by accounts. Is there actually ANYBODY who is willing to take a punt on the Toon?
May as well get rid of Wise now if there’s no more players coming in, or is Ashley simply too cheap to pay up on button-eyes’ salary any more than KKs?
He’s talking the club up in a buyer’s market. Could be lucky to get his money back, let alone a fat profit.
ObaFan2
Oct 6, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Comment #6Difficult to believe either story, about the Nigerian bid or SA supposed bidders.
I hear Anil Ambani has just struck a deal with Spielburg creating a new film studio, shame he isn’t interested as I believe he’d have been a good owner, don’t know why just had faith in him.
Sav
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Comment #7This game of ‘who’s got the richest benefactor?’ is destined to disaster.
The winners will be footballers and agents. The losers will be the fans as prices spiral further and the game has less and less to do with sport or locality and more to do with media and corporates.
We’ll never be the richest and I’m not bothered. I’m happy with a real club that pays its way through earned income, listens to its fans who provide it and has players who give a stuff, with maybe even one or two who are from the area. Its fair enough for team-talks to be about a ‘winning mentality’ but when win-at-all-costs becomes the ethos of the whole sport, its ultimately pointless. If the King of Siam, or whoever is going to come along and buy the trophies, what good is it?
I really hope this time we get someone who is committed. Its sad to see the likes of Kenwright having to step down because he can’t compete. If he gets someone in with more dosh, then what? Will they get any nearer to man. City, Chelsea or ManU? No.
Sav
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Comment #8The thing needs to be capped in some way or it’ll be ruined.
The Entertainers
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Comment #9I just hope that if the club have put a deadline on bids for the club, come that deadline they rule out potential consortiums who appear to be gaining a lot of unwarranted publicity from Newcastle United.
Cyprus-Toon
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Comment #10Well there is suppose to be 7 bids not including the SA or Nigerians or is that just in MA imagination, as no one will buy the TOON due to the debacle which has gone on & the amount of money MA is after!!!
We’re doomed & will be possible relegated this season, as come Jan when our top players like Owen, Martins etc decide to leave, we’re not going to get anyone to replace them!!!
Oba one konobi
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Comment #11I agree Sav, I would rather support a team with dignity than to buy trophies. Look at Chelsea fan, they did not even know the russian before he came now they see Grant as a failure atfer taking them closer to winning a treble than the special one BUT HE WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH THEY SAID! I for one do not want to be that type of fan. I want to support a team that can live within there means acactly what MA stated btu according to fans he did not talk to the and state the direction he wanted to stear the club. As I said befor DW has done a FANTASTIC job in recruiting players this summer can anyone on the site name me a bad signing either finanicallyt or on the pitch! Therefore MA should not get rid of his main man because he is about to sell, of course you wait until a bid comes in which would include severance pay. Who knows the new owners may want a person like DW stay in a similar role to recruit players as he obviously made the boss happy with his dealings. At the end of the day who gives a f**k what KK though he wasn’t paying the bills! I really think we should have seen this one through with the system in place except getting in a quitter we should have went for the likes of dechampes!
rooks
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:24 PM
Comment #12so what is it – £200M or £350M ?? sounds dodgy as a f**k
Estechco
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:29 PM
Comment #13What a totally pointless article! The original newspaper one I mean, although arguably this one too Ed.
“they are ready to look elsewhere if a deal to buy Newcastle United is unsuccessful”
Is this not stating the bleeding obvious? If your bid is unsuccessful then you are clearly going to have to look elsewhere. This isn’t a threat, it’s simply a statement of fact.
More crap journalism…
I’m off to buy something on eBay. Mind if my bid is unsuccessful, I warn you, I WILL look elsewhere!?!
Ross
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:42 PM
Comment #14theyre basically saying if they dont get us they’ll go to a different club and attempt to buy them, before implying we’d regret not taking them.
load of rubbish, i dont really want the nigerians anyway
hitman
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Comment #15http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/10/06/scottish-businessman-behind-300m-deal-to-buy-newcastle-united-86908-20777703/
little willie
Oct 6, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Comment #16I hope the people protesting for Ashley to leave are happy with what they wished for.
Paul
Oct 6, 2008 at 1:16 PM
Comment #17From Jonathan Cleland in the Daily Record story linked by hitman.
“Some might argue it took my brain injury to be interested in Newcastle United.”
LOL!
skin d
Oct 6, 2008 at 2:59 PM
Comment #18people who want mike ashley to stay,are you mad?
what has he done since he came in ,apart from clear debt.
in the 17 month since MA has owned the club,are the club going in the right direction.
i would have to say definatley not,okay we might not have the debt,but the playing side is a complete shambles.
when he came out with his feel sorry for me statement,he even said himself he was only going to back the club to the tune of 20 million a year.
what good would that amount of money a season do for the toon,absolutley f all.
we are in the mess we are in because of mike ashley,s lack of investment,and a dof who couldn,t organise his s##t into the pan without somebody doing it for him.
JJ
Oct 6, 2008 at 4:33 PM
Comment #19little Willie and Obi Kanobi
I for one am still delighted that Ashley is pissing off.. : )
Llembias is an clueless clown…
Ashley hasnt spent a cent on tranfers (nett spending) and he has left our squad thread bare.
He would only have used our club as a sell on club by bringing up players hoping to sell them early.. His communication with fans was non exsistant.. his statements were contradictory and his runnings and forsight were pathetic.
Yes he had a good vision of bringing young talent in… BUT where doest young talent get us if lack of investment to deepen our first team squad sees us in the championship…
And why Dennis Wise of all people (the man who can start a fight in an empty room).
It was quite clear he had no communication with Keegan (the manager and most important man at the club). It was quite clear he didnt have the balls to sack anyone us thus and make a decision on a direction forward.
Ashley left our club in a shambles and you still defend him. The youth policy was the only good implimentation. All the rest has been a disaster.
ObaFan2
Oct 6, 2008 at 4:39 PM
Comment #20JJ I second that….