Ex-Newcastle United defender Steve Howey has claimed that Amanda Staveley would have catapulted the Magpies into the limelight as one of the richest clubs in world football.
Staveley, who fronted a Saudi-backed consortium, agreed a deal with Mike Ashley to acquire the club in its entirety – only for the consortium to pull out of negotiations as they awaited a decision from the Premier League.
Current owner Mike Ashley has iterated his desire to continue to help facilitate the consortium’s takeover as doubts continue to swirl, while ex-AS Roma owner James Pallotta fuelled speculation over a bid by name-dropping the club as he spoke to The Athletic.
Speaking to Football FanCast, Howey discussed what might have been for the Toon, saying: “Newcastle could’ve gone from being where they are now to possibly the richest club in the world and that’s what you want, investment.
“Obviously, if Newcastle got somebody like Amanda Staveley and her consortium, then you know that you would be in for a decent ride.”
In what now looks to be an amusing saga, many of world football’s most high-profile names were linked with a switch to Tyneside in a rumour mill ravenous for ‘what-if’ scenarios at Newcastle.
Howey’s belief that Newcastle could have been in for a ‘decent ride’ is something of an understatement; the likes of Gareth Bale, Donny van de Beek and Kalidou Koulibaly were all linked since news of the takeover broke.
Newcastle fans will instead have to settle for the likes of Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie in their bid to stay up – though the Newcastle squad has been in a fine outbreak of form recently.
A healthy gap is emerging between Newcastle and the bottom three, with recent displays offering cause for optimism that the club will retain its attractive Premier League status, and perhaps, a successful takeover in the future.
In other news: ‘Lucky escape’, ‘We rejoice in this news’ – Many Newcastle fans flock to club announcement