Newcastle United: Mike Ashley wants answers from Premier League
By Durim Halimi
The lengthy review of Newcastle United’s proposed takeover is finally getting to Mike Ashley.
The fate of Newcastle United has been resting in the hands of the Premier League since the second week of April. Mike Ashley accepted a formal offer from a consortium comprised of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers, but the takeover is still pending.
Fans were initially excited about this takeover, but that feeling has been replaced with doubt and anxiety as a result of the Premier League’s delay. According to a new local report, Mike Ashley is also becoming impatient and is seeking updates from the Premier League.
Hopefully he gets some answers, and positive ones at that, because right now it does feel as if Richard Masters and other top flight officials are sabotaging Newcastle United.
The longer this review process lasts, the more problems Newcastle United need to handle in a shorter time frame. Project Restart was a top priority for the Premier League, so a delay in the takeover made sense, but all of the conflicting reports and “leaked” information has complicated matters.
After 13 years as the owner of Newcastle United, Ashley is keen to sell the club, but the lack of communication from the Premier League has left him in a difficult position. The Sports Direct tycoon needs to know if he is done with Newcastle United or if he needs to start planning for next season.
There are multiple internal deals that need to be sorted out, and a transfer budget needs to be determined before the club approach transfer targets. Steve Nickson, the club’s head of recruitment, has been working on identifying transfer targets, but the club has no sense of direction at the moment.
Next. Newcastle friendly scheduled for Saturday. dark
Like the rest of the Toon Army, we are no fans of Mike Ashley, but this is a rare case where we are rooting for him to get some answers regarding the takeover. With Project Restart implemented and ready to go, a decision on Newcastle United’s takeover needs to be made as soon as possible.