Finance guru: Newcastle United fans are the real victims after latest ‘twist’ in High Court ‘sideshow’
Newcastle United fans want transparency from the owners of their club and Amanda Stevely’s latest legal drama is an unwelcome “sideshow”.
So says finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the High Court battle with ex-Magpies owner Mike Ashley.
Ashley is suing Staveley for breaching the terms of a £10million loan used to purchase her co-owned 10 per cent stake in the club last October.
As per The Times last Friday (28 January), the Sports Direct tycoon alleges that Staveley did not have the funds for her stake.
Plumley insists that the looming legal case will be an unwelcome distraction for the Toon Army as they focus on their relegation dogfight.
“This is a wider point on ownership here,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“There are allegations in this twist here, and we don’t know how they are going to play out over time.
“But we come back to this point about transparency. All the fans want to see is transparency.
“There are some things that can’t be said because there are legal implications and agreements have been signed.
“But if you see things in the media as a fan, you just want to know what’s going on.
“However, as long as the club’s ticking over in the transfer market, most of the fans’ focus is on the pitch.
“This becomes a bit of an unwanted sideshow for the fans.”
Ashley trousered £305m from the takeover deal in October last year.
The club is 80 per cent owned by a consortium led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
In other news, Newcastle United set to axe Ciaran Clark from squad after transfer collapse.