Newcastle Gets Another Bidder as Premiership Revs Up

Published on 17-Jun-2020 by Axel Krüger

Soccer    Soccer Daily Update

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Newcastle Gets Another Bidder as Premiership Revs Up

This is pretty damn close to a man bites dog story.

How often is it when an American tries to outbid a group that has serious Saudi backing?

Especially when that group already has an agreement in principle to purchase Newcastle United for the tidy sum of £350million and posted a non-refundable deposit of £17million to seal the deal.

Or so it thought.

 

Not when an American kajillionaire comes charging into Geordie-land with an extra sack or two of mega-dosh.

That'd be rabbit-ears maverick Henry Mauriss, top dog at Clear TV, a favorite of cord-cutters looking to keep in touch with local stations. OG was on the trend early, and with economists saying Americans are already in a recession, he apparently thinks his biz is built for the anti-boom.

If so, it's no wonder he was drawn to the Magpies. This club's Premiership record has defined anti-boom since the 2004-2005 season.

 

Newcastle supporters used to dream of someone who'd come to the Northeast, take out despised owner Mike Ashley, and restore the Magpies to whatever the hell they think the club could be restored to. Or at the very least, keep them outta the drop zone on a regular basis.

Under Ashley, Newcastle has misfired on the pitch, which is part and parcel the result of him doing the same in the transfer market as well as with his management hirings.

A North American baseball fan might equate the club's recent history to the Chicago Cubs, perennial losers before they finally broke through.

 

Magpie supporters are kinda thinking it may be now, what with a takeover bid in progress.

But nothing comes easy these days for Newcastle.

The first clue that Ashley might be serious this time about selling the club came when Amanda Staveley started showing up at St James' Park. It emerged soon after that this well-respected businesswoman had the Reuben Brothers in tow.

Even more significantly, her high-level Middle Eastern connections also brought the mega-dosh of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund into the scenario, enough to make an all-cash deal a no-brainer.

 

Good point. This is Newcastle United, after all.

Not long after the euphoria began sinking in to Magpie Nation, it emerged that Qatari-based media giant beIN Sports was claiming that the Saudi group was directly involved in ripping it off by illegally streaming Premiership matches, among others.

This claim isn't really breaking news, but the fact that it finally came to the fore when the takeover was due to close has created a bit of a sticky wicket.

 

The league really can't be seen as favoring an alleged bootlegger over a paying customer, so therein lies the conundrum.

Enter Mauriss.

Whereas OG had no chance of butting into a done deal, it's possible he could now offer a convenient solution with his increased offer serving as icing on the cake.

All the Premiership's CEO, Richard Masters, has to do is veto the pending sale and allow the due diligence on Mauriss' offer to get underway.

 

Actually, it's not that easy spurning kajillionaires. Strings have been pulled throughout their pursuit of the club, including the British government itself weighing in on their behalf.

Predictably, given the Saudis' sorrowful human rights record, this has morphed into one of those few issues that could bring MPs from all parties together in opposition to their takeover bid.

 

Who knew the Magpies could unite a nation?

Adding even more intrigue, rumor has it that Ashley himself quietly had his attorney do a bitta recruiting on the sly to find a white knight, which is how Mauriss entered into the fray.

This could get ugly.

Come to think of it, as this is Newcastle United, maybe it's more accurate to say uglier.