The Newcastle United takeover was a protracted one, though has proven to be worth the wait for supporters.
Indeed, PIF bought Newcastle United in October 2021, though that was after their first attempt failed.
The Saudi-led Newcastle takeover initially collapsed in July 2020, though of course eventually happened just over a year later.
Still, during their first attempt to buy the club, the Newcastle United owners had targeted a manager very different to Eddie Howe, who was appointed at St James’ Park in November 2021 after Unai Emery had rejected them.
Back in 2020, Sky Sports made a huge claim.
Newcastle United wanted to appoint Mauricio Pochettino in 2020
They claimed that Mauricio Pochettino was the initial managerial target on Tyneside.
It was said that the potential owners were willing to pay the Argentine a stunning £19m-per-year if he agreed to join.
At the time, Pochettino had only recently left Tottenham, months after he took them to the Champions League final.
Pochettino was thought to have been interested in the role, though obviously it didn’t happen.
Instead, Steve Bruce remained in charge until Howe took charge. Pochettino, meanwhile, would join Paris Saint-Germain in January 2021, before moving on to Chelsea in 2023.
From there, he went on to take the United States job in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, a competition they are joint-hosting.
Mauricio Pochettino on course for only his fourth major honour
While a good showing at the World Cup they are partly hosting has to be the priority, the USA are on course to win the Gold Cup for the first time since 2021.
Pochettino’s side beat Guatemala 2-1 in the semi-finals on Wednesday and will now face Mexico in the final on Sunday.
It could be Pochettino’s fourth major honour of his career. Much has been made about his lack of trophies while at Spurs despite going close, but he did win silverware while in charge of PSG.
Everything about Newcastle would have been different had the takeover gone through at the first attempt. Pochettino may no longer be quite as highly rated as he was back then, but he was coming off a brilliant tenure at Spurs at the time.
It’s certainly a sliding doors moment in the history of Newcastle. Luckily, it’s worked out for them since…
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