Amanda Staveley is determined to complete a takeover of Newcastle United.
That fact has been apparent for years. This is not the first time she has tried to buy the Magpies.
It all started in 2017 when Rafa Benitez was manager. Mike Ashley said those negotiations with Staveley were a ‘complete waste of time’.
Three years later and he agreed a deal to hand her the keys.
In 2020, Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners agreed a deal to buy Newcastle United.
It was a deal that was set to take the Magpies to incredible heights.
The deal was back by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, who were set to own 80% of the club. The remaining 20% was to be split between PCP and the Reuben Brothers.
It was the takeover fans had dreamed of. It had the potential to take Newcastle to the top of the English game.
17 weeks later and the dream was over. PIF withdrew after the Premier League were unwilling to provide a decision regarding their Owners’ and Directors’ test.
What has happened since then is a battle to get the deal back on track.
Mike Ashley has launched two legal battles against the Premier League, as he looks to secure his ticket out of St James’ Park.
In the build up to the club’s arbitration hearing, Newcastle and Staveley have called on the Premier League to agree to it being held in public.
The club believe they have nothing to hide, but what about the Premier League?
Pressure is mounting. Staveley has contacted MPs, as well as conducting an interview on Sky Sports News.
Will Amanda Staveley ever complete Newcastle takeover?
At the end of her interview, Staveley said: “I’m tenacious if nothing else.
“We believe this is very, very important for Newcastle and for the fans, and we’re not going to give up.
“We don’t ever give up.”
Staveley is hitting all the right notes. She is saying exactly what fans want to hear.
I don’t mean that in a cynical manner. She’s saying exactly what the fans want to hear, but that’s because we’ve been denied it for so long.
Her consortium have the power to change the club and the region. That’s something else she alluded to – the benefit it will have on Newcastle the city, not just the football club.
But could Staveley’s final five words one day come back to haunt her?
Her confidence has never been questioned. But as it stands, she still does not own Newcastle United, and it’s not for lack of trying.
If legal proceedings go against the club, what next?
This takeover saga needs a conclusion, once and for all. The club cannot handle another year of limbo.
If we lose our legal battles and PCP Capital Partners can’t buy the club, will Staveley then look to start all over again?
PIF surely aren’t going to wait around forever. And with the Saudis set to take an 80% stake, their involvement seems pivotal.
I hope Staveley doesn’t have to eat her words. I hope that her persistence and desire to own Newcastle United becomes a reality sooner rather than later.
But there is a chance her confident words may come back to haunt her.
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