The "awkward" ongoing takeover saga at Newcastle United has "swallowed up" the season-ticket row which has provoked fury among fans.
That's the view of pundit and former Sunderland striker Darren Bent, who believes all efforts at the club currently are focused upon completing the deal.
It is an issue which the club has maintained silence on for almost three months, despite calls from disgruntled supporters on social media and from the Newcastle United Supporters' Trust to halt direct-debit payments.
Despite the confirmation of Project Restart and the planned return of the Premier League behind closed doors, the club has still not communicated any plans regarding season tickets or tickets purchased for the FA Cup and away fixtures.
Rival Premier League clubs have offered refunds or options to pass the money onto charity or club foundation or Academy efforts.
It is a deafening silence which has earned the club criticism, but Bent believes it's not a stance that has been taken 'on purpose' to extract cash from fans - many of whom will be struggling financially as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bent told Football Insider: “I don’t think it’s a lack of leadership, I just think at the minute the club’s in such an awkward position with the takeover, no one knows what’s going on.
“I just think at the minute, I don’t think they’re doing it on purpose and thinking they don’t really want to give the money back, I just think right now they’re trying to get this takeover over the line, they’re throwing absolutely everything at it to get it over the line.
“Unfortunately, maybe the whole season ticket issue is getting swallowed up in that because they just don’t quite know.”
