Henry Winter with The Times has taken to Twitter with some interesting insights on Newcastle’s failed takeover. He was one of the journalists who seemed to have solid sources early on in the process.
His initial tweet cites potential bidders from the United States, including one with long-standing interest who is not Clear TV CEO Henry Mauriss.
PIF #NUFCTakeover withdrawal deeply frustrating for long-suffering #nufc fans desperate to get rid of Ashley. But other interested parties, inc two US. One long-standing bidding group (not Mauriss) weighing up Newcastle & another club. They have the funds. Newcastle prized. 1/3
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) July 30, 2020
For many fans, these potential bidders currently pale in comparison to the Amanda Staveley-led consortium, who were going to not only going to invest in Newcastle United but also the surrounding area.
Winter also tweeted the following about some of the plans that would have been set in place initially should the deal have gone through. He also states that Bruce would have been kept on, at least to start.
Bidders who’ve withdrawn frustrated/gutted were going to give Bruce a chance to start with & were going to invest heavily in #nufc academy as they’d noted how many local talents (Shearer, Carrick etc) started down south, something Ashley's eventual successor has to address. 3/3
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) July 30, 2020
There have been murmurings that this deal is not completely dead. Even Amanda Staveley hinted in her interview earlier on Thursday that there could be a path forward. She also reportedly spoke to talkSPORT’s Jim White who said the following of their conversation:
“I’ve just got off the phone with a tearful Amanda Staveley who said to me: ‘I am absolutely heartbroken for the supporters of Newcastle, for the club, and the community.’
“All the emotion of waiting and waiting, and the work she’s done on this bid over the last two years, came out to me in that phone call.
“The bid was real, it’s been there all the time, Ashley agreed to it, and they told me today they were going to allocate £250million more for the club, the academy, and the community, but now it’s all gone.
“Having said that, and I don’t know how genuine this is, but as Amanda Staveley said ‘goodbye’ to me, she added: ‘Get it out there, though, we will not give up. We will not give up’.
“So maybe they will be back, but it all depends on the Saudi’s because 80 percent of the £300m cash bid was theirs, with ten percent from Staveley’s PCP and the other ten percent coming from the Reuben brothers.
“Everybody will have their take on this, but all I can tell you is this; if you’d heard the tone of Amanda Staveley’s voice moments ago you would realize how absolutely shattered she is.
“As she said, she has been working on this with the Saudis and the Reuben brothers for two years, two years they’ve been working flat-out on it and now it’s come to this, that they have withdrawn.
“What Newcastle would have got out of it, what the club would have got out of it, what the fans would have got out of it in terms of what was about to happen to their club was something else, but now for the time being at least, we’ll never know.
“But I emphasis ‘for the time being’, because as Amanda says, they will not give up and they might be back.”
It appears the Saudis made the decision to pull out as they saw the writing on the wall with the Premier League and this just was not going to get passed anytime soon.
Staveley may regroup but we would expect she’d have to find another investor as we can’t see the Saudis coming back into the frame.
If Winter’s reporting is accurate, she may not have the time to get another bid in place as there could be solid interest from two different American-based bidders.
But now, Newcastle have to focus on this season. They must improve this squad with the limited funds available to Steve Bruce this summer.
Liam Kennedy with the Shields Gazette is reporting the club is doing just that. He has teased a transfer story for the morning in which he claims there could be significant progress made on a two-year pursuit of a target. That’s at least something.
You might not feel like reading it now, but got some decent #NUFC transfer news going up for 7am.
As much as we may hate the landscape, life goes on,. It has to.#staypositive
— Liam Kennedy (@LiamJKennedy23) July 30, 2020
Genuine news, a near two-year pursuit of a player. Hopefully it gets over the line.
— Liam Kennedy (@LiamJKennedy23) July 30, 2020
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124 comments so far
Mund
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:17 PM
Comment #81Staveley about the PL:
“They were saying ‘you know what, we won’t reject you but we won’t approve you either, so we’ll just sit here for month after month’. They could have told us all this before we exchanged.”
Nicky the ball tosser
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:17 PM
Comment #8297% of us wanted this takeover, including me, but let’s face it, there were lots of problems with the bid – piracy, treatment of women and homosexuals, crucifixions, beheadings and murder among them.
MBS acting as a shadow Director, an odd and all powerful guy.
The prospect of sports washing and sports doping altering the identity and soul of the club.
I’m disappointed, but not in bits over this, maybe because I’m a bit older, and just hope Henry Winter is right, and there is another bid, with good muscle ready to land.
All I’ve ever wanted for the club is to be its best self, and frankly the Saudi bid came with a lot of baggage.
kilcline
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:18 PM
Comment #83What I now hope:
Things turn really nasty for ashley and masters
We as a club show no respect for any of the other clubs in the league
Season tickets sales etc massively decline
We display anti premier league banners that will be on tv worldwide
No English club ever win champs league
Over time the Spanish Italian and German leagues become stronger and attact more tv money
PIF buy a Italian club and f*#king dominate and take players from Liverpool etc
As a club we become disruptive in league meetings etc
F#%k em all
ShirebrookToon
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:18 PM
Comment #84The battle may be lost. But the war has just begun
Enjoy your night folks. I’m out
Keep the faith
Mund
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:19 PM
Comment #85GP
I figured as much with not seeing you around. Take it easy mate talk tomorrow
stan anderson
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:19 PM
Comment #86And Jiblets nor am i a MACKEM
RonVanDam
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:19 PM
Comment #87The PL needs to release a statement advising what happened in the last 17weeks when the buyer has said all questions were answered which I’m assuming includes the person who will be running the club
ShirebrookToon
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:20 PM
Comment #88The battle may be lost. But the war has just begun
Enjoy your night folks. I’m out
Keep the faith
Mund
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:21 PM
Comment #89Later shire
Keep the faith
HWTL
jimiley
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:21 PM
Comment #90There is a European super league coming up with 6 English clubs and proably no promotion/relegation. They were very worried that the Toon would gate crash. They have fixed it now.
Well you can stuff your corrupt footy and your super league. The rest will play championship footy and after a few years when all Europe is sick of the same teams and it has failed you know what will happen.
The fixers will be invited back.
Not on my watch. They can shove it.
RobLeenio
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:22 PM
Comment #91The Prince’s mate, yeah took a bit of self-imposed exile, felt like the blog was on a never ending roundabout, just the same conversations over and over again. I expected to come back on after the takeover was completed, but it looks like that wasn’t to be.
We’ll see what shakes out of this, one way or another we’ve not heard the last of it.
Northumbrian
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:23 PM
Comment #92I wonder what happened to the dossier stavely sent to the prem 17 weeks ago outlining who were going to be what at nufc?
Maybe masters desk was uneven and he needed it to steady it.
😉
woodey
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:25 PM
Comment #93Liam Kennedy
@LiamJKennedy23
·
59m
Three things I’ve heard this evening re #NUFCTakeover.
1. No HM bid.
2. MA did shift goalposts & increase price. Happy to sell to PCP still, who would pay increased price.
3. PL wanted KSA state to be named as maj owner, not PIF. Couldn’t legally untie two. KSA said no.
NY Mag
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:26 PM
Comment #94RobL,
It’s nice to see you back, wish it was under better circumstances.
RobLeenio
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:26 PM
Comment #95Really emotional interview with Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodousi with George Caulkin in the athletic. Well worth a read of you can.
Highlights are that Ashley is not to blame, all parties would finalise the deal tomorrow if the premier League were to encourage it, the League were demanding that the Saudi state were named as directors which would have been unprecedented and this was the final nail in the coffin.
Gothmog's Pyjamas
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:26 PM
Comment #96Athletic has a piece by Caulkin with Mandy and her fella.
woodey
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:27 PM
Comment #97https://theathletic.com/1963915/2020/07/30/amanda-staveley-the-premier-league-impossible-ridiculous-newcastle-united-interview/
The Prince's Mate
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:27 PM
Comment #98Tynemouth…. I love your optimisin, but let it go as it will break your heart X
RobLeenio
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:28 PM
Comment #99Liam Kennedy is just regurgitating the Caulkin interview.
Harumph!
kilcline
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:29 PM
Comment #100Ashley will still own the club when we are in the championship in 2022
RobLeenio
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:29 PM
Comment #101Cheers NY Mag, hope you’re well mate.
I’m in the lakes still with the family, so this is more of a flying visit rather than a full time return, but I’ll be back properly soon.
The Prince's Mate
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:29 PM
Comment #102Robleenio…. Felt a bit naked without you on here.. Haaaa
Northumbrian
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:29 PM
Comment #103And a few earlier mocked me for saying stavely was crying in a phone call with Jim white pfft.
woodey
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:30 PM
Comment #104on Talksport now
West Lancs Geordie
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:30 PM
Comment #105It’s not the fact that the takeover appears to have failed it’s the actions of the gutless officials of the Premier League that have really upset me. They could have turned this down 10/12 weeks ago and given the club chance to move on and try to find another buyer . Now we are left with 66 days of the transfer window left and an owner with no interest whosever in the Club and certainly not willing to pump any money into it. He just wants his brass out. The Premier League should really thank Staveley and her colleagues for giving them a get out as if they had turned down the fact that the Saudis were felt not fit and proper to own & run a football club then they would undoubtedly have been sued. After all The Saudis spend immense amounts of money with UK and with British companies like BAE on defence contracts. The British Government wouldn’t want that harming despite all the Human Rights talk. None of this should come in to affect sport but minority groups seem to get the most headlines these days .
jimiley
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:32 PM
Comment #106Stan A was a top player. Favourite all time was Tony Green. I remember him scoring a goal for Blackpool on a dribble from half way line. It was on TV. We bought him for 100k soon afterwards. Briliant for two seasons until injured out
RobLeenio
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:33 PM
Comment #107Caulkin’s interview did also carry a quote from Amanda saying that there were no other bidders in the game. Not sure if Henry winter has his facts right there, but there’s obviously some contradiction in what he’s reporting. Obviously Staveley wouldn’t see it as being in her interests to admit there are other potential buyers of this is a strategic bluff from her consortium. Just my thoughts.
The Prince's Mate
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:34 PM
Comment #108If anyone is feeling down listen to Neil Youngs All along the watchtower live xx
RobLeenio
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:35 PM
Comment #109Lol the Prince’s mate, I am not a reliable substitute for a decent pair of kecks!
😉
West Lancs Geordie
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:36 PM
Comment #110Jimiley – I’m with you mate 6 Greedy Clubs into a European Super League very soon. Let’s see if their grass roots supporters can afford to travel the length and breadth of Europe every other week. They’ll soon be skint if they do.
The ledge
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:36 PM
Comment #111https://youtu.be/tAGnKpE4NCI
Its how I’m feeling.
stan anderson
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:37 PM
Comment #112I remember standing in the Leazes end with 15000 other Geordies chanting UNITED.
Those were the days
NY Mag
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:38 PM
Comment #113RobL,
I was doing ok (before today)
Enjoy the time with your family…
Looking forward to having some craic when the fog clears and things become clearer.
West Lancs Geordie
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:39 PM
Comment #114Yeah Jimiley I watched him play in that game at Blackpool as I was living on the Fylde Coast at the time. Great,great player and his career sadly cut short when he came to the Toon. Worked for the City Fire service after and then was a member of the Pools Panel.
The ledge
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:40 PM
Comment #115.@LiamJKennedy23 on Talksport:
– Deal not 100% dead
– PL not yet informed of pull out
– If structure changed, further tests would not need to be carried out and further deposit wouldn’t have to be paid #NUFC
jimiley
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:40 PM
Comment #116West Lance
When the super league is formed we will have a chance of winning the championship but they will call it the Premier league!!!
And we might win the FA CUP but its really the Texaco Cup. Won it already.!!!
Its all a corrupt farce
Kevin Vegan
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:40 PM
Comment #117How would Staveley have any idea whether there were other bidders waiting?
She could well be right, but she couldn’t possibly know that. Nobody could.
stan anderson
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:41 PM
Comment #118Tony Green was special
West Lancs Geordie
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:41 PM
Comment #119Will the great times ever come back to SJP.
We all hope so one day.
HWTL
Good night.
jimiley
Jul 30, 2020 at 11:42 PM
Comment #120Straw graspers at work. Good night