Newcastle United’s jealous rivals made big noise after takeover but club strong for future windows
Newcastle United’s emergence as Champions League contenders rattled Premier League rivals so much that 18 of them voted to change the rule book.
In the second part of Newcastle’s Prime Video documentary, club officials discuss how new rules came in swiftly after the Magpies’ Saudi takeover. And why it left co-owner Amanda Staveley unhappy as the rules unfolded while Newcastle were staring relegation to the Championship in the face.
Part two of the “We are Newcastle United” series airs this week and in it Staveley and CCO Peter Silverstone talk about the impact of those recent changes which Premier League rivals feared that the Magpies would sign lucrative deals with companies linked to owners. Silverstone says: “The nuance for me was that when Newcastle were taken over new rules were brought into place.”
Staveley is asked in the documentary if the rules were changed because other teams saw Newcastle as a threat and said: “Yes. But I was shocked that we could buy a club, pay a full price and then rules just change.
“I think that’s what p***** me off because we had so little revenue anyway that if you are just going to ban everything, we were 20th and we had nothing and I was angry then yeah.”
New stipulations were then brought in a month later with deals needing to represent true market value. In the end, Newcastle’s deal with Sela was one of hundreds of contenders to sponsor United after a long process of finding the best arrangement for the club.
Staveley goes on to say: “You’ve got to remember, nobody likes competition. Champions League places are tight. Other clubs do everything they can to make sure those Champions League place are available to as few people as possible.”
Newcastle now hope that their multi-million deal with Sela can now help the black-and-whites stay in the hunt for the Champions League beyond this season. Staveley said: “It is not just about a logo, it is a really important relationship. It is part of the DNA of a club.
“It’s not just about putting loads of money on the front of a shirt. Having said that without that money or significant number we can’t invest into players and the structure of the club so it is critical.”
The arrival of Sela has coincided with a spend of around £125million this summer from Newcastle with CEO Darren Eales making the club’s views on FFP clear last week. However, with the club now growing commercially United should be able to flex their muscle in the next few windows and help steer the club to the top four or five on a more consistent basis.
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