What really happened during Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s Newcastle meeting at Alnwick Castle last month

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Newcastle United chiefs had Toon fans thinking a major signing was going to happen when they headed to Alnwick Castle last month.

Amanda Staveley made it clear on Instagram that a meeting was taking place, while it coincided with chairman and PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan being on Tyneside.

This came at a time when Newcastle’s January transfer situation was looking desperate, with fans facing up to the possibility of no new signings arriving despite some very interesting targets. The likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Amadou Onana were rumoured to be on Newcastle’s radar, but were seemingly out of reach.

There was a slither of hope from fans that this meeting would unlock the door to a major arrival, but that is not what happened.

And now the Athletic have provided details on what the meeting was really about.

What happened during Newcastle meeting at Alnwick Castle

According to the Athletic, the meeting at Alnwick Castle was largely dominated by discussions on how the club can increase its revenue, which will lead to less infuriating transfer windows like the one they have just endured.

Revenue and money coming into the club was the big issue for Newcastle during the January transfer window. The Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules meant that they could not splash the cash, despite having the resources to do so.

That is why there was so much talk of a major name being sold, with Miguel Almiron seemingly the closest to departing. He was a target for Saudi Arabian side Al-Shabab, but the 29-year-old was not interested in taking his talents to the Middle East.

So the meeting was not intended to lead to a major signing in the January transfer window, but it is understandable why Staveley’s Instagram post led to some excitement from the Toon Army.

A similar meeting inside Alnwick Castle featured on Newcastle’s recent Amazon Prime documentary, which led to supporters believing that something big was on the horizon.

That may yet be the case, but the board meeting, including the chairman, did not lead to a big money in signing in January. No matter how many meetings they had, the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules meant it simply was not possible.