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So glad we've got Benitez in charge. Pardew would have bought 11 Hayden Mullins' with 300m.

 

Need moar left backs.

 

Not sure FMA will go for £300m, like, hopefully it's just the opening salvo.  I reckon £325m with a year of free advertising for SD might tempt him, especially with the extra coverage we'll get if we show a bit of ambition.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/41662958

 

In his new book 'Any Given Saturday' Given reveals his belief that the SportsDirect boss tried to run the club "on the cheap".

 

He said a low contract offer in 2009 left him disillusioned, and criticised what he felt were money-saving attempts to make him sign a transfer request once he turned it down.

 

'How much did they really want to challenge?'

 

The keeper told the Chronicle how he and his lawyer Michael Kennedy met with Ashley and assistant Derek Llambias for contract talks in 2009.

 

"I went out of the room soon after the meeting had begun and returned to the car," he said. "Michael was back out, sat in the passenger seat, soon after. 'We're not staying,' he said. 'That was not a serious offer in any way, shape or form.'"

 

"I was prepared to stay for the rest of my career but, ultimately, I was in my prime, a potential Premier League winning team wanted to sign me and Newcastle did not give any impression they wanted to chase silverware.

 

"How much did they really want to keep me though? How much did they want to be challenging? Did the boardroom care about keeping their most loyal players? In a word, no."

 

'A gun was put to my head'

 

Given felt Newcastle tried to make it seem as if he had been pushing for a move away from Tyneside.

 

In reality, he said, they offered him a contract worth less than he was already on.

 

"In the end, with me unhappy at what was going on and the lack of ambition shown by the club, a gun was put to my head," he said.

 

"They said they would not allow me to leave unless I signed a transfer request. By making me hand in a formal written request, it meant they could waive 10% of the fee I otherwise would've picked up after moving.

 

"With the fee being around £6-8m, it effectively meant I was waiving £600,000 to go.

 

"They made it sound like I was holding them to ransom and that poor little Newcastle were being stitched up by just another greedy footballer when, in actual fact, I wanted to stay - but only if Newcastle gave me a competitive contract and, by doing so, proved the club had big plans for the future."

 

 

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How have City's ticket prices changed the last 10 years? Obviously we'll be happier to pay more to watch a better product but I'd expect this to rise quite a bit.

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Caulkin!

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/amanda-staveley-set-to-make-quick-bid-for-newcastle-united-7fhrd7mc9?shareToken=e09df677d6503ce094c853681cccc05b

 

PREMIER LEAGUE

 

Amanda Staveley set to make quick bid for Newcastle United

 

George Caulkin, Northern Sports Correspondent

 

October 19 2017, 12:01am, The Times

 

Staveley, second right, attended Newcastle’s game against Liverpool this monthOWEN HUMPHREYS/PA

 

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Amanda Staveley is expected to launch a bid for Newcastle United, according to sources in the City, after the British businesswoman held a constructive meeting with the club’s hierarchy.

 

Staveley, who runs PCP Capital Partners and is reported to control £28 billion of investments from the Middle East and China, is understood to be pushing for a speedy purchase.

 

She met Lee Charnley, Newcastle’s managing director, and Justin Barnes, a long-time associate of Mike Ashley, the owner, after the recent home match against Liverpool, a club Staveley has previously attempted to buy. More progress was made at another meeting this weekend. The same City sources said that Staveley and Newcastle had signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Neither party was prepared to comment last night.

 

The Financial Times has reported that four groups have agreed NDAs with Newcastle, a precursor to discussions about a price and then the undertaking of due diligence, but Staveley is understood to be the frontrunner.

 

In a statement on Monday, Ashley put the club on the market, although Barnes has been seeking outside investment for much of 2017. The sportswear retailer has twice failed to sell Newcastle, which he has owned for a decade.

 

Ideally, Ashley wishes to cut his ties with the club before the January transfer window, allowing new owners to invest in the team. Tensions arose over the summer after Rafa Benítez, the manager, expressed concern at the slow pace of team strengthening. That timescale would not faze Staveley.

 

Reuters has reported that PCP values Newcastle at £300 million and is prepared to invest another £150 million on players over the next two years. Ashley is believed to be seeking closer to £400 million.

 

 

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