Patrick Vieira believes Newcastle United's future looks 'really exciting for the fans and for the city' after the club's takeover was finally completed.
The Mike Ashley era came to an end earlier this month after the Premier League gave the Saudi-backed bid the green light following a breakthrough in a longstanding piracy row.
The £305m deal has led to some uncomfortable questions being asked, given Saudi Arabia's appalling human rights record, and Crystal Palace supporters unfurled a protest banner ahead of Saturday's 1-1 draw against the Magpies at Selhurst Park.
Palace boss Vieira, however, has previously gone on the record to say it's 'good news' for Newcastle and 'we have to be happy for them'.
Vieira already knows how sovereign wealth funds can change a club, after being a player, football development executive and reserve team manager at Man City under the Abu Dhabi United Group, and the former Arsenal captain will be keeping an eye on Newcastle's fortunes.
Vieira, after all, was previously on Newcastle's radar when Alan Pardew and Rafa Benitez left the club; the black-and-whites ultimately plumped for Steve McClaren in 2015 while Vieira ruled out a move to St James' Park four years later because he was happy at Nice.
Newcastle's newfound wealth will inevitably have a knock-on effect on Palace, given that there has either been just a point or a place between the two sides in the table since 2018, but Vieira has not looked at it like that.
"There has been a lot of change at Newcastle and when new owners come in, you see players showing they want to be part of the football club's next chapter," he wrote in his programme notes ahead of Saturday's game.
"Newcastle's future looks really exciting for the fans and for the city."
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