Newcastle United’s long protracted takeover by PIF along with the Reuben Brothers and Amanda Staveley was finally completed in the first week of October. Mike Ashley’s 14-year tenure as owner of the Magpies was ended, much to the relief of thousands of Geordies that flooded the streets around St James’ Park to celebrate.
Whereas Ashley failed to invest in the club’s infrastructure and commit significant resources to the playing squad, PIF along with the rest of Newcastle’s hierarchy have vowed to make drastic changes on Tyneside. The Magpies endured a poor start to the Premier League season under Steve Bruce, and are still backed at 2.63 in the football betting odds to be relegated from the top flight despite the influx of funds at the club.
An important January window awaits Newcastle to fill their squad with quality to avoid the drop, with the potential to push on in the next campaign to move into the top half of the Premier League. Their progress will be worth monitoring in the football betting tips as a momentum surge could see the Magpies compete for a top-10 spot along with the cup competitions that had been overlooked in the Ashley era. It has been over 60 years since United last won silverware, placing the onus on the new owners to deliver success that has eluded the loyal Geordie fanbase for so long.
For the first time in 14 years, Newcastle can now afford to look up rather than towards the relegation zone. Two relegations haunted the Magpies, but much like the Manchester City of 2008 after their takeover by Sheikh Mansour, the Tynesiders can now put the building blocks of a surge up the table into place. City were not an overnight success following their takeover and far from the dominant side that they are now under Pep Guardiola.
Robinho was their first eye-catching move in a £32.8m deal from Real Madrid, although the Brazilian failed to live up to the billing in one full season at the Etihad Stadium. The stronger initial transfers were deals for Pablo Zabaleta, who would become a key cog of three teams that won the Premier League title along with Nigel de Jong, a potent force in the middle of the park.
City gradually phased out the players of their old regime such as Richard Dunne and Darius Vassell and replaced them with high-priced moves for Kolo Toure and Carlos Tevez. The club kept building in that fashion before their first Premier League crown arrived in the 2011/12 through Sergio Aguero’s famous stoppage-time strike against Queens Park Rangers.
Newcastle will no doubt be linked with a host of players in January, but they must get their recruitment nailed to a fine tee. They have a small window of opportunity where financial fair play will not hinder their progress to bridge the gap towards the top-10. Before they can think about challenging the top four, the Magpies have to get on a level playing field with Everton, West Ham and Aston Villa among others. There will be no shortcut to the top for the Magpies despite their newfound wealth, and the hard work is only beginning for the ownership group. The first step is to push out from the relegation zone and then build a sustainable platform for growth.