Finance guru: Newcastle United now have ‘new cash challenge’ amid latest from Saudi Arabia
Newcastle United are generating a buzz in Saudi Arabia – but the challenge is turning that interest into “cold, hard cash.”
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Tynesiders’ plans to capitalise on growing regional interest in the Middle East.
Eddie Howe’s side have spent the last few days at a warm-weather training camp in Riyad and thumped local side Al-Hilal 5-0 in a friendly last Thursday (8 December).
A source told Football Insider several weeks ahead of the trip to the Gulf state that the Magpies were considering launching an Arab-language social media handle.
The launch of @NUFC_AR, a Twitter account for Arab-speaking supporters which has since amassed 29,000 followers, was confirmed on 3 December.
Plumley explained that the new challenge for the club is converting the following into financial rewards.
“We know that intangible stuff in terms of interest in the club can have an impact,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“The new challenge is that they need to turn this into cash. They are getting people to buy into the brand and what they are trying to do.
“Newcastle are targeting new fans in the region who might not follow a club at all at the moment. They are trying to harness and grow that affiliation.
“You then hope that at some point these new fans start to buy merchandise and engage with the club.
“You might be able to get them over to watch a game at some point, although that’s tricky because the waiting list at Newcastle is sky-high.
“But these are the things where you can turn interest into cold, hard cash.”
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