Newcastle fans have displayed a scathing banner at St James' Park voicing their dissatisfaction with the club's Saudi-led takeover. The £300million deal, which makes them ten-times richer than Manchester City and PSG combined, is set to completely transform the Magpies.
Major headway was made in the takeover bid on Wednesday when a long-running dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar-based beIN Sports was finally resolved.
BeIN Sports have a lucrative deal to broadcast Premier League football in the Middle East, creating a conflict of interests with Saudi Arabia's potential involvement in the division.
However, the Saudis have taken steps to resolve the dispute which catapulted the seemingly dormant takeover bid back into action.
Mike Ashley, who initially thought he had sold the club back in 2020, is now on his way out of the north east, and fans will be happy to see the back of him.
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The reaction came after yet another obstacle was cleared in relation to the takeover, with the Saudi Arabian state legally guaranteeing 'separation' from their day-to-day control of the club.
That proved to be the last remaining stumbling block according to The Times, and the official announcement came soon after.
Naturally, with big investment comes big changes, and the Magpies are now among the very wealthiest clubs in world football.
They will still be bound by Financial Fair Play regulations, or whichever reform comes afterwards, but new signings and major adjustments are surely on the horizon.
Newcastle fans have frequently protested Mike Ashley's ownership (Image: GETTY)
That could dramatically transform the club's fortunes in terms of fighting for silverware, European accolades and the world's best players - but as the banner says, they 'do not want a club that wins'.
Ashley could certainly be accused of not trying, however, which left those fans stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Newcastle have spent decades upon decades building a community-based club, so it is understandable why some are fearful of such radical change.