Last week saw Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, lead a £305 million takeover of Newcastle United ending Mike Ashley’s 14-year spell as owner.
The news was met with jubilant scenes from Newcastle United fans, who now support one of the richest clubs in the world. If you’re starting to fancy The Magpies fortunes on the pitch, read here for some awesome advice and bonus codes when it comes to placing a bet.
For us the icing on the cake during this whole takeover was an interview on BBC Breakfast with jordie musician Sam Fender, where he admitted ‘I’m really, really hungover…’ after a big night out celebrating the news.
But it remains to be seen whether this deal will prove to be a favourable one for the toon army. Claims of human rights abuse have been directed at the Saudi Arabian state for years with many criticising the Premier League for approving the takeover.
Despite this a survey of the Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust (NUST) found that 93.8% of its members approved the takeover. And excitement is only growing, with Ralf Rangnick tipped to be their next sporting director. Rangnick has a proven track record with German side RB Leipzeg, taking the club from the regional league (tier 4) to the Bundesliga along with securing Champions League football.
Newcastle United supporters are daring to dream and if history tells us anything, there’s definitely good cause to. Here’s 5 football takeovers that brought success.
5) Qatar Sports Investment Group buys Paris Saint-Germain
In 2011, Paris Saint-Germain hadn’t won Ligue 1 since 1993. They had just finished 4th in the league when the super rich Qatar Sports Investment Group bought them for a reported €80 million. It took them two years to win the title with the help of superstars Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham. They now boast a front three of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi who the club hopes will win them their ultimate ambition: the Champions League.
4) The Glazer Family buys Manchester United
The Glazers started their takeover of Manchester United back in 2003, purchasing a majority of the club’s shares in 2005 for an overall cost of around £800 million! Manchester United’s takeover is unlike any of the other’s on this list as the Red Devils were already one of the biggest clubs in the world. And the fans weren’t much pleased as the Glazers took out huge loans to fund the takeover. Essentially the club is in debt, but is still very profitable. It’s quite confusing. That aside, things went well on the pitch, with United taking a further 5 Premier League titles and a Champions League. However, Manchester United’s fortunes haven’t been great during the past 7 years with many supporters calling for the Glazers to move aside.
3) Fenway Sports Group buys Liverpool
Fenway Sports Group already owned a sports franchise in the Boston Red Sox when they bought Liverpool for €333 million in 2010. It hasn’t been a smooth road to success since the takeover, twice coming so close to winning the Premier League but not close enough. Good times eventually came for the reds though, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League the following year.
2) Roman Abramovich buys Chelsea
Love or hate him, no football fan can deny Roman Abramovich’s influence on Chelsea’s fortunes since 2003. He took over Chelsea for a reported €155.5 million and spent plenty of money developing the club and ultimately its silverware. They hadn’t won the league since 1955 when he took over. Since the Abramovich takeover, Chelsea have won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, two Europa League titles and the UEFA Champions League title twice.
1) Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan buys Manchester City
This will be the journey Newcastle United supporters hope their club will emulate. Royal Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour, took over the club in 2008 for €233 million. During his time as owner they’ve had success as well as calamitous mishaps. It’s been a true reflection of a club expanding extremely quickly. Highlights have included Sergio Aguero’s exhilarating final day goal that secured Manchester City its first Premier League title in the 2011/12 season. Lows have included the signing of Robinho and a bust up between manager Roberto Mancini & player Mario Balotelli. But city fans wouldn’t have it any other way. They’ve won five Premier League titles since the takeover and currently have one of the best managers in the world in Pep Guardiola.