The Newcastle Takeover: Does It Affect Manchester United?

The Newcastle Takeover: Does It Affect Manchester United?

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The Newcastle Takeover: Does It Affect Manchester United?

So unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you would know that a seismic shock has rippled through the Premier League with the news that Newcastle United have been bought by a Public Investment Fund (PIF) from Saudi Arabia.

So what does this mean for the rest of the Premier League and how does this impact the club we love, Manchester United?

About The Takeover

Newcastle takeover imminent', the uplifting headline from the Gulf and back story of whirlwind 24 hours - Chronicle Live

For the past 14 years, Newcastle have been under the ownership of Mike Ashley, who brought unhappiness and lack of success with the way he ran the club.

Magpie fans might pinpoint their mistrust in Ashley beginning when manager and legend Kevin Keegan resigned from his post in 2008 after only 8 months in charge. He was later rewarded £2m for constructive dismissal following the signing of Ignacio Gonzalez which was against the manager’s wishes and more as a “favour” to two South American agents.

Keegan’s resignation led to Newcastle fans voicing their disgust towards Mike Ashley which led him to put the club up for sale.

No one came forward to buy The Magpies which brought on many years of pain under management that simply didn’t want to own the club.

Multiple decisions made by Ashley were questioned by the fans including the choice to dismiss popular manager Rafa Benitez after a good few years at the helm of the club.

Newcastle did win two Championship titles under Ashley’s ownership despite being a club big enough to stay in the Premier League, but the millionaire was criticised for the way he dismantled the team that led the club to those victories.

One of the biggest controversies that Ashley was the centre of was renaming the iconic stadium St James Park to the Sport Direct Arena, the company Ashley also owns.

However, after many false starts and blocks from governing bodies, the Saudi-led PIF with over 300 billion of worth has officially bought Newcastle and took the club away from Mike Ashley.

With this takeover comes increased controversy due to human rights issues related to the Saudi government which includes the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who is listed as the chair of the PIF.

The new owners have confirmed they are aiming for the Premier League title and has promised millions of pounds to be pumped into the team in order to achieve that goal.

So How Long Will It Take For Newcastle To Challenge?

There is very little doubt in most minds that Newcastle won’t challenge eventually, the bigger question is when?

The case study here is Manchester City who won their first Premier League title 4 years after being bought by Abu Dubai Royal Family member Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

It doesn’t sound like the Newcastle owners are going to wait around to let the dust settle on this news and are aiming for big names to come in to help them challenge as soon as possible. However, the length of time it will take is based on one variable. Relegation.

Newcastle are currently sat in the relegation zone despite the takeover but there is only one transfer window before the season ends so time is against the Magpies.

The current team is more than good enough to survive relegation and it may all fall on manager Steve Bruce who, as of writing, is still at the helm of the Northern club.

However, if Newcastle survive the drop then the predictable challenge time will be around the same as Manchester City’s 4 years.

This could have a major effect of Manchester United who are still owned by The Glazers.

There are now 3 multi-billionaire owners who are set on winning the Premier League title. Roman Abramovich, Sheikh Mansour and the Saudi-led PIF for Newcastle.

This will cause issues for United whose owners have always only been interested in Champions League qualification. There is a fear that Newcastle will leapfrog Man United in dominance of the English game and will be left out of reach of many title races.

Another team who will put up a serious challenge is not welcomed news at the Man United camp and things will have to change in the ownership for the club to remain towards the top of the league.

Will There Be Any United Faces Fronting The Rebuild?

Man United boss determined to keep Jesse Lingard despite fringe status

While Man United won’t have to worry about Newcastle for a few seasons yet, the inevitable rebuild the Saudi owners are aiming for may benefit Man United in thinning the squad.

According to sources, Newcastle may raid Manchester United for players in order to help rise up the table.

So who may swap the Uniteds?

Jesse Lingard is a name that has been heavily linked with Newcastle since the takeover announcement and it’s the sort of player you’d expect The Magpies to go for.

An experienced player who is currently in his prime and out of sorts at Man United could well be enough to tempt Newcastle to splash the cash on the Englishman.

Man United were reluctant to sell Jesse to West Ham and put a big price tag and wage on the player but that won’t be a stumbling block for the Saudi owners who are willing to spend anything on the right player in order to mount a title challenge as soon as possible.

Donny Van de Beek is another name that has been mentioned in regard to Newcastle’s spending.

The Dutchman clearly wants out at United and the future doesn’t look bright if he stays at Old Trafford so an opportunity to stay in the league and help be a part of a new project may be enough to tempt Donny out.

Van de Beek is a talent that Solskjaer refuses to use but most managers won’t treat Donny the way Ole has and will use his talent to it’s maximum potential.

Donny seems a no brainer for the Newcastle owners and will be a trusted player in the middle of the park.

The jury seems to be out on Frenchman Anthony Martial at Man United but the player still can offer something for a team like Newcastle.

A fired up and motivated Martial who wants to be at the club could cause issues and while his form will put him further down the priority list, Tony may be a great choice for The Magpies.

Other names loosely linked to the rebuild is the likes of Eric Bailly and Phil Jones but these seem unlikely given the ambition of the new owners.

Conclusion

So, while Newcastle may cause major issues for United in 4-5 years’ time, the rebuild could benefit the Red Devils in the short term and help Solskjaer trim the fat of a squad that is far bigger than it needs to be.

What do you think about the Newcastle takeover? Let us know down below.

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