Dr Dan Plumley

Thu 3 February 2022 7:00, UK

Newcastle United will continue to visit Saudi Arabia to capitalise on commercial opportunities in their owners’ homeland.

That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Magpies winter break visit to the Kingdom.

Eddie Howe’s side spent a week in the country, where they beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 in a training match and spoke in person with their new owners.

Howe revealed he met with PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and discussed his “vision” for the club, per the Daily Mail last Friday (28 January).

Plumley predicted that these visits to the Middle East will be common during PIF’s premiership at St. James’ Park.

“We’ve seen clubs do this in the past,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.

“Commercial activity and exposing the club to new markets is what it’s all about.

“You don’t know exactly how much in monetary terms that is going to be worth.

“But commercial development will always have been part of this trip as much as the warm weather break.

“It’s to be expected and you have to take it into account with the new ownership.

“You’d expect them to be back sooner rather than later. We are probably going to see more and more trips like this and doing things in that region.“

The Premier League said in October last year that it had received legally binding assurances that Newcastle are not controlled by the Saudi state.

This view has been contested by multiple human rights watchdogs and legal entities.

In other news, Newcastle United set to axe Ciaran Clark from squad after transfer collapse.