Newcastle United are saying goodbye to Amanda Staveley after less than three years on Tyneside.
In October 2021, there was a change of ownership at Newcastle United. The Mike Ashley era officially came to an end, as the Saudi-backed takeover was finally approved by the Premier League.
PIF arrived with their incredible wealth, but the orchestrator of the deal was Amanda Staveley. She, alongside her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, had wanted to buy Newcastle much earlier, having been convinced to make a move after watching the Magpies play Liverpool in 2017.
She tried on her own but did not have the funds, and then came back with the wealthiest investors imaginable. PIF took control of 80% of the club, while Jamie Reuben also bought 10%.
The other 10% went to Staveley, but she recently reduced her stake. Now the Ripon-born financier is selling all her shares, as she prepares to call time on her exploits as a Newcastle United owner.
Amanda Staveley news rocks Newcastle fans
Following the news that they will be leaving, fans have paid tribute to Staveley and Ghodoussi for what they did for Newcastle United. They have helped lay the foundation for what should be an extremely bright future.
Them leaving has come completely out of the blue and rocked the Toon fanbase, but it is actually a development that was always going to happen – we just did not know exactly when.
In fact, it is something that has been on the cards since the day the takeover actually went through.
What was said about Amanda Staveley at Newcastle on October 7th 2021
On October 7th 2021, it was announced that Newcastle United had new owners.
And on that day, the Telegraph reported that Staveley would ‘front the club’ after being the one who set up the deal with Ashley.
However, the Telegraph did state that Staveley would only have control in the short-term. They reported that things would change once the Saudis were completely comfortable, with Yasir Al-Rumayyan and a new CEO then expected to call the shots.
Newcastle move into the next phase of PIF’s plan
Of course, Al-Rumayyan, who is the chairman, has always had complete control over goings on at Newcastle United. PIF are the main shareholders, and they have the final say.
The Magpies also have Darren Eales as CEO, as well as various other behind the scenes figures. Paul Mitchell was recently appointed sporting director, while Peter Silverstone is the chief commercial officer.
With experienced figures now in place, there is no need for Staveley and Ghodoussi. Their job is done, and what a job it was. They can look back at their time at St James’ Park with immense pride, especially given how difficult it was for them to complete the takeover in the first place.
But the plan was always for them to move on, as the PIF project moves into its next phase. We are entering that phase now, and it will be intriguing to see exactly what it entails.
As we all know, PIF are not going to rest until Newcastle United are top of the footballing pyramid, so things could soon get very interesting.
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