Newcastle United are set to be taken over by a Saudi Arabian consortium that could immediately transform them into one of the richest football clubs in the world.
Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain will know all about this after their rise in the last decade or so after huge investments from new owners has seen them compete for the biggest names in world football.
Things don’t always get off to the smoothest start, however, with Man City notably making some dodgy transfer decisions when their takeover first happened in 2008.
The first marquee signing through the door was Robinho from Real Madrid – undoubtedly a big name, but he ended up flopping and proving a colossal waste of money.
Newcastle might have to wait to be able to attract genuine world class talents, just as City didn’t bring in the likes of Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and David Silva straight away.
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So who falls into that category these days? We scanned Twitter for a few of the names popping up, and also threw in some of our own suggestions.
Read on for six names who could make sense to kick-start a new era at Newcastle…
Philippe Coutinho
Barcelona attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho is perhaps the name coming up most on social media right now, and he seems the archetypal Robinho of his time – a big-name Brazilian who has done great things on the pitch, but whose best days are surely now far behind him. Barcelona would undoubtedly love the chance to offload him if an offer came in, and he’d be the type of signing to generate a lot of hype at St James’ Park.
Anthony Martial
A talented player who has had a difficult time keeping consistent, Anthony Martial also seems like he’d fit the bill for the Magpies. The Frenchman isn’t playing regularly at Manchester United, but has shown down the years that he has that bit of magic that could lead him to great things in the right circumstances. Would Newcastle and Martial necessarily be a great fit? No, but for now it still feels like the right kind of match.
Raheem Sterling
Rather harshly, Raheem Sterling isn’t playing a lot at Manchester City right now, so could actually be a realistic and sensible transfer target for the new-look Newcastle. It would give the club’s new owners the marquee signing that they want, and it also provides Sterling with the chance to become the focal point of a team once again, something that he probably won’t be getting at City again any time soon, or is as likely to get at other top six clubs or European giants abroad.