Shay Given is looking forward to a bright future at Newcastle United, with the legendary Magpies goalkeeper thrilled by links to top-class talent like Gareth Bale and Kalidou Koulibaly, while speaking to the Sun (19 May, page 51).
As of today, the Tyneside club is still stuck in the vice-like grip of Mike Ashley. Yet it seems only a matter of time before the Sports Direct tycoon packs his belongings into a half-price Slazenger bag and hands the reigns over to Saudi billionaire Mohammed Bin Salman.
Although, a long-awaited takeover has been delayed by pesky red tape, Newcastle will soon become one of the richest football clubs on Earth. As a result, Steve Bruce’s side are already being tipped to sign some of the biggest names in the game, including a Real Madrid winger and a Napoli powerhouse.
Marca claimed that Newcastle could offer four-time Champions League winner Bale a return to the Premier League while Koulibaly, according to Le10 Sport, has been offered a staggering £200,000-a-week deal at St James’ Park.
Given, a former Ireland international who was part of the last Newcastle side to take a seat at Europe’s top table, feels a return to the elite is a genuine possibility.
“Newcastle have a decent team. If they add four, five, six really good players to that they could be in the top six or seven. Then if they add another six or seven players, they can get up there eventually,” says Given, who is now a coach at Derby County.
“Once you get one or two big names in the door, then there’s a few more thinking ‘if he’s joining, I want to go as well’.
“It’s exciting hearing about some of the players maybe coming to the club. Gareth Bale got a mention the other day, Kalidou Koulibaly too.”
Newcastle’s first priority, however, appears to revolve around finding a replacement for Geordie gaffer Bruce. Mauricio Pochettino has been offered a £19 million-a-year contract (Sky), while Max Allegri, Lucien Favre, Jorge Jesus, Julian Nagelsmann and Luciano Spalletti have also been linked.
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