If Newcastle can recoup half of Mike Ashley's £300m asking price for the club after relegation, they will be 'doing well'.
That was the frank verdict of football finance expert Kieran Maguire when analysing the Magpies' decision to stick with manager Steve Bruce.
Bruce has presided over a run of just two wins in Newcastle' s last 20 matches to leave his side two points clear of the relegation zone with nine matches remaining.
With the Magpies still in arbitration with the Premier League over the failed takeover of the Saudi backed PCP Partners' bid last summer, it has left fears that any deal could be in jeopardy if Newcastle fail to avoid relegation to the Championship.
Certainly, Maguire believes the club's asking price will be severely slashed if they do drop out of the top tier.
"I think Mike Ashley is trying to ensure that the club is in the Premier League when he sells it," Maguire told Football Insider.
“Newcastle is worth £300m as a Premier League club. If he gets half of that in the Championship, he’ll be doing well.
“For whatever reason, Ashley and Steve Bruce seem to have a good relationship. I think Ashley knows there isn’t that many people he can trust and what he doesn’t want is a situation such as arose under Benitez when you’ve got the manager effectively siding with the fans.
“Bruce isn’t going to do that. To a certain extent, he is going to be Ashley’s mouthpiece and will toe the party line.”
