'There is a new superpower' - Klopp lambasts Premier League for Saudi takeover of Newcastle
Stefan Bienkowski
- 15 Oct 2021 11:24 BST
- 3 min read
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has lambasted the Premier League’s decision to allow the Saudi Arabian takeover of Newcastle United.
The St James’ Park side were bought over by PIF Investment in early October, which is an arm of the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund.
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The move not only means an end to Mike Ashley’s 14-year rule over the club, but also now makes Newcastle the richest club in the world.
As such, the Premier League side will undoubtedly spend a remarkable amount of money in the January transfer window and numerous more after that.
And while fans of the club have welcomed their new owners and the departure of Ashley, Klopp believes it is yet another oversight from the Premier League.
Klopp on Newcastle: "I was waiting for some official statement from Masters or someone. There are concerns over human rights issues, that's clear. Still, that's the situation. What will it mean for football?"
— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) October 15, 2021
"I was waiting for some official statement about it from Richard Masters or someone else as there are obviously concerns over human rights issues. It didn't happen in the first place,” said Klopp at a press conference on Friday.
"It means there is a new superpower. Money can't buy everything but over time they have enough money to make some wrong decisions and then make right decisions.
“The Premier League obviously thought 'let's give it a go'. It's now the third club owned by a country."
📸 Amanda Staveley and @ghodoussi get to work as they met with #NUFC staff at St. James' Park earlier today.
⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/BPU76o417P— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 8, 2021
Will Newcastle become a Premier League superpower?
While Newcastle may not have spent any money yet, there’s little doubt that the Geordie club will loosen the purse strings in January.
However, as Chelsea and then Manchester City have already shown, success can’t exactly be bought overnight and takes time and a remarkable amount of money.
According to our own analysis, Newcastle would need to spend at least €385.7 million to sign a full squad of players that would be capable of competing for a top four spot. And likely much, much more if they were to try and dominate the league.
