Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has said he has no doubt that Newcastle United chief Mike Ashley is looking to sell and has tipped his fellow businessman to surprise the Toon Army with how quick a deal could take place.
The Magpies have been up for sale for over a year now but there has been little joy for the supporters when it comes to a deal being done, with Amanda Staveley’s reported bid hitting a brick wall and other suitors yet to agree anything with Ashley.
However, despite radio silence ex-Premier League chief Jordan has insisted the Sports Direct supremo is eyeing a quick sale and hinted it could be done a lot quicker than expected.
He told talkSPORT: “He’s looking to sell. Absolutely he’s looking to sell. Unequivocally this time without a shadow of doubt from my vantage point without actually having spoken to Mike for a significant passage of time, reading the signs.
“This time there’s a different feel to it, there’s a different metric to it and look from it. Ashley is going to sell this football club.
“(On how quickly it could happen) You’d be surprised. Due diligence on a football club isn’t that hard. I’ve bought one. People make it into a production but it isn’t that that much to look at.
“You know what the revenue streams are, you know what the threat and challenges are, you know what the playing squad is worth and you know what the inherent liabilities are. If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
"Ashley is going to sell this time."
"It won't hold back spending in January, even if he writes the cheque himself."@SJOpinion10, who knows Mike Ashley, gives an update on #NUFC's sale. pic.twitter.com/4KtyQbOab3
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) December 27, 2018
Opinion
The Newcastle fans will be hoping that Jordan’s prediction about Ashley comes to fruition, for they are desperately hoping the businessman makes his way out of St James’ Park sooner rather than later. He is public enemy number one on Tyneside right now and with the January transfer window coming up he is going to come under plenty of pressure to invest in the playing squad – not that he has done that significantly in the last couple of years he has been in charge. Could something happen over the coming weeks? Jordan seems to think there is some sort of possibility but while he might have experience of both how Premier League ownership works and of Ashley himself, it seems highly unlikely the Toon Army will have too much to celebrate over the new year period. What is important is that the focus from the players remains on what happens on the pitch and that they grind out some much needed results to help drag themselves away from the relegation zone.