For far too long now Mike Ashley has been running Newcastle United into the ground, spending as little money as possible in the forlorn hope that he will, eventually, be able to sell the club.
When a Saudi consortium agreed to buy the Magpies, Ashley must’ve thought that all of his Christmases had come at once, however, the Premier League wouldn’t rubber stamp the deal and so the potential buyers pulled out.
Ashley was never going to let that decision go without putting up a fight, and as Football Insider detail, Wednesday saw the first day of a Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) case brought by the owner, looking at the league’s role in the collapse of the deal.
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The Telegraph note that an arbitration case against the Premier League begins in January, and pundit, Frank McAvennie believes that’ll be decisive for the future of the club.
“Ashley has done everything,” he told Football Insider.
“He gave a price, he got the price, he’s ready to sell. It’s just the Premier League now. I’m sure they will get it done now. There is too much pressure on the league now.
“I think the takeover will go through and that will be really exciting for Newcastle fans, they deserve it.