Investing not just in the squad: Newcastle United have big plans
Newcastle 7-10-2021
© Newcastle twitter
Now that Newcastle United has the richest club owners in the world behind them, not only the squad should be strengthened in the future.
After being taken over by a Saudi Arabian investment fund, Newcastle United must be counted among the richest clubs in the world overnight. Investments in the club are of course planned, the goal is titles. However, not only the squad should be brought into shape.
Amanda Staveley, who initiated the deal with the Saudis and now has a seat on the board, is responsible for transforming the club into a Premier League size. She knows: You can’t do it with new players alone. “We want to be part of the fight for world-class players, but we need the necessary infrastructure for that,” she said. “You need a suitable training ground and the necessary medical facilities.”
Newcastle United: A new training ground will probably be built first
In particular, the training ground, which is not owned by the club, has to be spruced up: “It’s really terrible,” said Staveley. “There is no point in having fantastic players if there is nowhere for them to train properly.” According to Sky Sports the most likely solution is that Newcastle will create a completely new training ground from scratch. “
Investments are also to be made in the youth academy, the women’s team – and of course in the stadium and the surrounding area. “Reaching the top of the Premier League not only takes great players, but also solid foundations – and we have to build them,” said Staveley. “That requires a strong youth academy, we want to see a lot of people from the area play here.”
Newcastle as “a great team that shouldn’t be in 19th place”
“Newcastle’s stadium is right in the heart of downtown, between the bars and restaurants in the middle of the nightlife, unlike many other stadiums these days,” says Keith Downie of Sky Sports. He reckons it will be a few years before the first title: “It took Manchester City three years to get their first trophy and four years to get their first championship title.”
The fans wouldn’t want to hear that, but “at least they know that the team will keep up, because under [dem früheren Besitzer] Mike Ashley they were never competitive. They just existed in the Premier League. “
However, the current sporting crisis must first be overcome. “This is a great team that shouldn’t be in 19th place,” said Staveley. “We have to tackle this directly. But at the same time, the players have to know that they have our full support.”