A football finance expert claims Newcastle United's current owners will strive for Premier League "exclusivity" amid Chelsea's recent takeover reports. The Saudi Media Group did not make the final shortlist at Stamford Bridge despite tabling a £2billion offer for the Premier League club.
Roman Abramovic has been forced to sell the club after the UK Government imposed sanctions on the Russian oligarch due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The collapse of their bid means Newcastle will remain the only Saudi owned group in the league.
Sheffield Hallam University's Doctor Dan Plumley claims the Magpies will be happy they have "exclusivity." Speaking to Football Insider, he said: "There are two ways to look at this.
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“One is that if they are the only Saudi-owned club, they have exclusivity on that. You have the potential for Newcastle to be the flagship for that country.
“The other aspect is that if you have multiple owners from the same country in the league, does that give you some leverage on voting principles. We have seen the big clubs buddy up to get towards a majority through these little groups.
“But I also get the feeling that given the financial power they have, they probably aren’t giving it too much thought. They are on a different field financially. Their focus is on their club. Everything that happens around them, they’ll react to along the way.”
The Magpies owners have not hidden their desire to replicate Manchester City's ownership model, with an eye on creating a multi-club model. For now, Newcastle United remain their number one priority.
