Amanda Staveley had quite an exciting Sunday as she watched Newcastle United from the stands at St James’ Park.
With criticism of the club’s new ownership feeling far away within the stadium, as fans dressed up and clearly welcomed the new regime, Staveley couldn’t hide her delight at the reception.
When the Magpies took the lead against Tottenham Hotspur, the joy exploded, only for reality to then bite as Spurs scored the next three goals. A comical own goal from Eric Dier made the final score 3-2, but it’s clear that Newcastle have work to do, if only to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Prior to the match, Staveley had given ‘four minutes on the telephone’ to L’Equipe, with the French newspaper wanting a few words about the club takeover.
The first question was about Saudi Arabia using the purchase as a route to sports washing, to which Staveley replied: “This buyout has absolutely nothing to do with sports washing. The PIF is an entity which pursues commercial objectives. I say it frankly: PCP Capital Partners, no more than RB Sports & Media, would take part in a transaction that would amount to sports washing. It would be nonsense from the point of view of our business.”
Then, with that duly brushed under the carpet, attention turned to Allan Saint-Maximin, and whether Newcastle would build their new project around the Frenchman: “I don’t want to comment on this at this time. What I can just say is that he’s special, unique: he’s a very talented star. We are honoured that he plays for Newcastle.”
Newcastle supporters know they need additions on the pitch quickly, and on whether 
there’d be big signings in the winter window, Staveley said: “The January transfer window is not the best time. The best window is always in summer. Our objective is to invest at all levels: we will recruit for the first team, but also for the women’s team, the youth teams. We want to improve our infrastructure and our training.”
Therefore, it sounds like the winter market may well be more of a plaster than a cure.
