Newcastle chairman discusses club's ambitions after takeover
Newcastle United's new non-executive chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan has laid out the club's ambitions following the Saudi Arabian takeover in an open letter to fans.
The extremely controversial (you can read why here) takeover by the Saudi-state funded Public Investment Fund was finally completed this week - having been in talks to buy the club since way back in 2017.
In an open letter to supporters (via the Chronicle), the club's new chairman Al-Rumayyan - who is also the Governor of the Public Investment Fund - has laid out what the Newcastle faithful can expect from the new owners.
"There has been a lot written about the investment we have made in the Club and we know you are keen to know more from us about this important stage in your Club’s history," he wrote.
"First of all, I want to stress that we are incredibly proud to be the custodians of an institution like Newcastle United.
"This is your club. It has been at the heart of the community for more than 125 years – there are season ticket holders today who are following in the footsteps of their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
"As the new owners, we will listen to the community. Owning this club is not a responsibility we have taken on lightly and we will never lose sight of what it means to be part of Newcastle United.
"I also wanted to give you an understanding of what you can expect from us as owners and what our plans are for your club at this stage.
"Most importantly, you can expect ambition. Like you, we want to create a consistently successful team. We’re here to build long-term success for the club."
The first decision the new owners look set to make is regarding the future of manager Steve Bruce.
As reported by90min, Newcastle's new owners are set to make changes to the football operations of the club, and are eyeing Gareth Southgate as their new manager - however he is not likely to leave his role as England manager within the next 12 months. Michael Carrick and Man City academy boss Jason Wilcox are also leading candidates.