It has been a rough old couple of years on Tyneside for Newcastle United fans, to say the very least. The patience of loyal supporters is depleting by the day, over a number of behind the scenes actions which have left questions looming about the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s (PIF’s) interest in the club.
Not only did Eddie Howe fail to secure a place in Europe for the Toon Army in 2025/26, with a lacklustre 12th-place finish after a dismal season home and away, but very little has been done to encourage the faithful of St James’ Park that things will change ahead of the new season.
Of course, the departure of Alexander Isak last summer after a dramatic transfer saga with Liverpool played a part in a tough watch on Tyneside, especially considering Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa failed to live up to incredibly high expectations.
Woltemade – a £69million club record signing – started the season strong after arriving from VfB Stuttgart, collecting four goals in his first five games. However, by May, he had only managed to double that tally – Howe making the decision to utilise the 6ft 6in talent as a midfielder rather than as an out-and-out
Wissa, meanwhile, managed just 521 minutes in the Premier League, demoted to the bench for the majority of his season having failed to find his footing. While United fans will have hoped that losing a key man in Isak and failing to replace him properly was a one-off occasion, there are worrying signs of a similar fate in the coming months.
While any likelihood of the 28-year-old actually leaving the club was brushed off as transfer hearsay as first, it has since emerged that the midfielder is keen on exploring his options elsewhere – a likely destination landing in the form of Arsenal, should they meet Newcastle’s valuation in the region of £75m.
With so many influential players already leaving the club, and potentially their marquee man also headed for the exit as United struggle to sign big-name targets, questions beckon as to whether Newcastle’s owners are as committed to the club as they say they are.
Have PIF lost interest in Newcastle United?
While there is an assurance that PIF is still invested in Newcastle, the club are evidently finding it very hard to evolve and grow as a club as a result of restrictive financial rules.
Smart recruitment and even smarter selling is one way that they may be able to break the chains that are holding them down at present, while increasing commercial revenue streams is key.
Only if they are able to do that, will they be able to compete with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United etc and actually agree lucrative transfer packages with clubs and enticing contracts for respective players.
While the club’s situation has seen a considerable improvement from the low base left to PIF by previous owner Mike Ashley, growth simply isn’t quick enough currently for them to compete with the Premier League giants at present.
Bruno Guimaraes has been linked with the door(Image: Getty Images)
Make no mistake, the owners are still investing as much as they possibly can in terms of a transfer kitty and wage budget.
But a recent breach of UEFA’s financial rules serves as a constant reminder that they must walk a fine line rather than flirt with another hefty fine for infringing the regulations.
