It has been a frustrating year in many ways for Newcastle United fans, in more ways than one.
Unable to cheer on the Magpies in person since March, the supporters also spent the first lockdown back in the Spring constantly looking for updates on the prospective Saudi takeover.
It’s now over six months since news first broke of the takeover bid from Amanda Staveley's PCP Capital Partners, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and the Reuben Brothers.
The saga ran throughout the summer as the deal failed to be ratified by the Premier League, eventually resulting in the prospective new owners announcing they were withdrawing their bid in late July.
But there’s been plenty of movement elsewhere in the world of football as everything came to a grinding halt at St. James’ Park, leaving Mike Ashley as the owner of Newcastle.
Burnley are rumoured to be welcoming new owners before Newcastle, with reports Clarets owners Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz are set to greenlight a £200m deal.
It’s believed that Egyptian businessman Mohamed El Kashashy and sports lawyer Chris Farnell have signed a Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and provided proof of funding and are now awaiting the same Owners' and Directors Test clearance that proved so frustrating on Tyneside.
Meanwhile, Championship club Derby County could soon be under new ownership after the EFL approved a takeover by Sheikh Khaled Zayed Bin Saquer Zayed Al Nayhan.
Long-serving Rams chairman Mel Morris appears set to sell the club to the Abu Dhabi royal family member, who had previously failed in bids to buy Liverpool and Newcastle.
Cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour, Sheikh Khaled could soon have his hands on an English football club, while things have since gone completely quiet on Tyneside.
But while those deals could soon be wrapped up in the coming weeks, other deals have been fully concluded.
Charlton’s controversial and deeply unpopular Belgian owner Roland Duchâtelet was finally fully ousted from The Valley for good after the League One club was bought by American-Danish businessman Thomas Sandgaard in September.
"We did the impossible,” he wrote to Addicks fans on social media after the deal was ratified by the EFL.
“We triumphed and we made it to this point because of you. Thank you for your passion, your perseverance, and your patience. There is no club without you. We are Charlton Athletic Football Club (CAFC).”
Sandgaard also claimed to have negotiated a 15-year lease on The Valley and the club’s training ground, which had been owned by Duchatelet, while there’s set to be a court appeal involving East Street Investments, who originally bought the club from the Belgian last year.
Things were even messier at Wigan, who went into administration and suffered relegation from the Championship after being served a 12-point deduction over the summer, just weeks after being taken over by Next Leader Fund L.P in June.
“I am excited to join the Wigan Athletic family and I look forward to working with the Board of Directors to support the club in what is going to be an initially challenging period,” new owner Mr. Au Yeung told Wigan’s official website.
“I hope to work with the staff within the club in the future and most importantly I hope to meet the club’s passionate fans.
“We encourage your feedback on club matters so please continue to help us grow and develop.”
After 23 years as owners, the Whelan family relinquished control of the Latics back in 2018, when they sold the club to Hong Kong-based company International Entertainment Corporation for a reported £22m.
They in turn sold it to another Next Leader Fund L.P, also based in Hong Kong, but the deal quickly turned into a nightmare scenario.
After the shock news of administration, the beleaguered club look set to go through their second takeover of 2020 in the coming weeks, with their former FA Cup-winning manager Roberto Martinez said to be assisting the new prospective owners.
Martinez, who is currently in charge of the Belgian national team, has given advice to Spanish investors, who are yet to go public with their identity.
Amid an economically fraught year, Newcastle fans need not look very far to see how difficult and complex these kinds of business transactions can be.
It felt a long wait over the summer, and it may be a longer wait yet for any further developments.
