Simon Jordan has warned Newcastle United fans not to expect the likes of Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland in January, telling talkSPORT (7 October, 10am) the Premier League club may have to take it slowly in the transfer market.
Manchester City didn’t go from also-rans to a European super club overnight.
The early days of the Sheikh Mansour era saw players such as Jo, Elano, Roque Santa Cruz, Craig Bellamy and Robinho arrive at the Etihad, with City finishing a disappointing tenth in 2008/09 before missing out on Champions League qualification 12 months later.
So while the Saudi-backed takeover surely means Newcastle will be knocking on the door of the established elite before long, patience, as they say, is a virtue.
And former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan points out it will take some time before world-class footballers are queuing up to join Jonjo Shelvey, Ciaran Clark and Emil Krafth on the banks of the Tyne.
Could Mbappe be the first signing of the Saudi era at Newcastle? You gotta dream
“No,” was Jordan’s one-word answer when asked whether Newcastle supporters could realistically dream of seeing Haaland or Mbappe don the iconic black-and-white stripes.
“You can’t turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse overnight. You’re still not Real Madrid or Barcelona – you’re not an elite football club.
“Man City bought people like Robinho. It took a while to get there.
“Newcastle, geographically, has a challenge. It think it’s a wonderful part of the country but, in the mind of foreign players, it doesn’t exist in comparison to London and Manchester.”
Financial Fair Play must be taken into consideration too, preventing Newcastle’s new owners from simply throwing money at a problem like a rich kid in a sweet shop.
According to Bleacher Report in April 2020, as the takeover rumours swirled, Newcastle’s new owners would initially prioritise players sitting just below the A-list bracket – the Moussa Dembeles rather than Antoine Griezmanns for example.
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