Suffering their first defeat of the PIF era at St James’ Park against Tottenham, Newcastle United have a long way to go before they become the powerhouse many expect them to.
First, Steve Bruce will likely be replaced, and the fans will want to see the owners invest in the January transfer window, at least enough to avoid relegation.
It’s clear there was excitement when the news was announced that Mike Ashley was no longer the club’s owner, with celebrations running wild around the stadium, showing just how much the fans felt their believed team needed a breath of fresh air.
However, for some outside of the Tyneside bubble, there is a sense of discomfort about the whole operation, with the vast majority stemming from concerns about human rights in Saudi Arabia and past accusations against Mohammad bin Salman.
Yet, in Germany, one particular journalist at Die Rheinpfalz decided that wasn’t the main issue.
No. His problem involved the EU Referendum.
In a short column, he pointed out that while Newcastle-upon-Tyne itself voted against Brexit, with 50.7% of its residents rejecting the idea of leaving the European Union, many of its surrounding areas were strongly in favour and cast their votes accordingly.
As he said, ‘the situation was completely different in the outskirts of the city’, as ‘the conceived stranglehold of the EU was perceived as suffocating’.
And yet, ‘many now like the fact that a country like Saudi Arabia grabs the Magpies under its nail’.
For him, it’s all ‘absurd’.
Of all the angles, we’re not sure this is the one.
