Arsenal legend Ray Parlour feels Newcastle could threaten the Premier League's top six with a 'little bit of investment'.
Newcastle are undergoing a turbulent summer with takeover uncertainty crippling the club in the transfer market.
Influential manager Rafa Benitez has left the club to take charge of Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang, while Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon - last season's two top scorers - have also left the club.
Newcastle's search for a new manager is now two weeks old and the Magpies will be playing catch up against their Premier League rivals ahead of the 2019/20 campaign beginning next month.
And when discussing which sides could break the top six stranglehold that Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal have established, Parlour was asked whether Newcastle could be in that equation.
“Not at the moment, no, because of the mess at the moment with the ownership," Parlour told Alan Brazil's Sports Breakfast on TalkSPORT.
“Any manager going into Newcastle, they need investment. That’s been the problem all the way along.
“They could be a top-six side if they got the right owners and the right manager on board.
“A little bit of investment, I think they could be in the top-six.”
