Newcastle United’s chairman, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, has stated that the club now aspires to dominate English football after their surprise fourth-place finish and Champions League qualification. The 53-year-old hinted at a greater level of spending with the financial revenues of the Champions League at their disposal while adhering to Financial Fair Play regulations.
Newcastle is already closing in on a £55m deal for highly-rated AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali. Eddie Howe, who has performed wonders at the helm of the club, was singled out for praise by Al-Rumayyan before he shared a special message for supporters.
The stringent financial regulations today have required Newcastle to go about their spending more diligently than Manchester City did following its acquisition by Abu Dhabi Group in 2008. Still, Newcastle seems set to challenge immediately for major honours and skip several stages of evolution into a European powerhouse.
Al-Rumayyan reflected on what he called “magical” season and said: “We finished in the top four so our revenue is increasing…If you put all of these together I think we should have an ambition and aspiration to be number one.” He added that they had one of the best fanbases in the world and thanked them from his heart for all their support.
Newcastle’s post-Saudi ownership structure has given it an ‘ambition and aspiration’ to dominate English football according to Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Since taking over St James’ Park, Al-Rumayyan has been regularly seen there reflecting on how magical last season was. With vast wealth behind them due to qualifying for next year’s Champions League competition, Newcastle looks ready to challenge far sooner than anticipated.
