Newcastle United are the new financial giants on the block, recently taking over European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Manchester United as the club backed with the most finances in world football. They are now the wealthiest club in the world, credit to the Saudi Arabian-backed consortium led by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) – taking over the club following Mike Ashley’s disappointing 14-year tenure.
With the massive budget at hand, the northerners have already begun plans to acquire new personnel for what is a hard-fought immediate future, as they still seek their first win for the Premier League season, sitting rock bottom in league standings. Experienced Steve Bruce was let go by the club and in a bid to reinforce the club with young faces, starting with the manager, many names have been proposed to take charge of the Magpies’ dugout.
Against all odds, AFC Bournemouth legend Eddie Howe is leading the race to become the new managerial appointment at St. James’ Park, having already agreed a deal in principle to take over the dugout. He was followed closely by ex-Arsenal coach Unai Emery, former Roma tactician Paulo Fonseca and ex-Everton gaffer Roberto Martinez. Through the ultimate guide to sports betting in Saudi Arabia, one can not only bet on a plethora of managerial contenders but also delve on matches in the Saudi Professional League, and at the same time gain knowledge on online betting, overview of gambling laws and the best tips on returns.
The oil-rich Middle East nation has emerged as a deal breaker on the football front, with the injection of a massive transfer budget upwards of £200m, but only £50m being allocated to spend in the upcoming January winter transfer window.
On a lighter note, Newcastle United fans can rejoice for having received the biggest transfer budget on Football Manager 2022 following the takeover. For the budget that has currently been allocated, not much can be bought in the transfer market, as the Magpies would be forced to make bargain buys with the acquisition of budding youngsters – something that may not guarantee them immediate breathing space given the nature of their relegation-bound position in the league. Very few players that have been linked with a move to Newcastle would actually be able to move for that amount of fee and even if they extend it, three at most could be fitted in the tight budget. Some players that fit the allocated budget include James Tarkowski, Luis Diaz, Matteo Guendouzi, Conor Coady, Alexandre Lacazette, Kasper Dolberg and Jesse Lingard.
Upon the announcement of the takeover, fans immediately began jotting down prospective transfers with high hopes that included Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Neymar, Lionel Messi and few other top dogs. While the aforementioned players are virtually impossible to get even though the money to bring them is very well present, it does bring in some kind of hope to a team that has relatively suffered for most of the 21st century. Surprisingly, they have not been relegated since the 2015/16 season.
However, the immediate priority is clear for the Magpies – reinforce, starting from the back. It has become painfully obvious of the team’s defensive leaks and Eddie Howe has a huge task on his hands. As he sat in the director’s box at Brighton, alongside assistant Jason Tindall and part-owner Amanda Staveley, and had a first glimpse of the team that he would be taking charge of, it undoubtedly would have struck the former Bournemouth manager of the things that he needs to give priority to. Let alone defensive reinforcements, Newcastle registered their first effort on goal at the AMEX Stadium only in the 55th minute – equally highlighting their woes in the final-third and the dire need of strikers and playmakers.
With the buying power similar or more than that of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain and Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City, the Saudi owners of the north England club have a major project on their hands. The news of the new ownership, as we have seen, is the cause of unconfined joy for the Newcastle faithful, but finances alone cannot help the club that is in dire need of a philosophy and playing style. While the finances alone cannot help, bringing in world class talent with big money is certainly something will up the ante at St. James’ Park and might just propel the team to operate in a cohesive manner.
This season has already begun on a low note – surviving the threat of relegation is no simple feat and remains top priority for the world’s richest club. Hopefully, we can expect to witness a rejuvenated and highly reinforced Newcastle outfit in 2022/23.
