In the past couple of months, reports from the Italian media have been claiming that the Saudi Public Investment Fund, who own Newcastle United, could be interested in buying either AC Milan or Inter Milan.
All the Saudi money is usually looked at with huge excitement from fans and part of the media, although there are some journalists who try to warn that the group’s arrival wouldn’t exactly place those clubs in a financial paradise.
Notizie Milan today brings some quotes from pundit Alessandro Giudice, who has had his say on the matter. He used Newcastle as an example to show that PIF can’t solve everything quickly, as their issues fitting into the Financial Fair Play and PSR mean they can’t go crazy.
“Rumour has it that they’re trying to make a few swaps with AC Milan, who have no such problems. I hope this gives pause for thought to the many Milan and Inter fans (and even some pundits) who dream of Arab, Middle Eastern, in short rich buyers, in the naive belief that this would allow them to buy whoever they want, spending without limits.
“Nothing could be more fallacious, because the reality is quite different. To gain competitiveness you need growing revenues, costs under control, accounts in order. A wealthy shareholder is of no use.”
Newcastle’s initial seasons under PIF surely drew attention from several clubs who watched the Magpies reaching new levels, but the fact they couldn’t continue with their growth and finished the last Premier League season in 7th is also a warning for those clubs.
