Newcastle United lost close allies when Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi left last July. The power couple fought more than anyone else to liberate the Magpies from Mike Ashley’s grip and, despite being scarily wealthy, did not possess the bottomless pit needed to take the club forward.
Staveley’s share was absorbed by the Public Investment Fund and the Reuben family - worth a combined £800billion. But what if Newcastle were to lose their sugar-daddy ownership? The Saudi-backed regime proved contentious when they bought the club but have been unable to fork out gazillions on superstar players.
Money, after all, makes the world go round - unless you are a professional football club. For all their lavish riches, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) have only been able to spend a fraction of that on Newcastle.
All the noises is that the Saudi regime, if possible, would want to splash the cash to propel the Magpies to superstardom. FFP/PSR restrictions, however, have made that difficult.
No longer can a wealthy backer jet into Chelsea, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain and bankroll their success. Newcastle were supposed to be the next cab off the rank until financial restrictions proved more than pushover last season - as Everton and Nottingham Forest learned.
But Middle Eastern money aside, the Magpies still have a wealthy dog in the fight. NewcastleWorld has profiled how the Toon owners’ bank balance compares to the rest of English football - without PIF. The results are staggering...
9. John W. Henry, Tom Werner - Liverpool
Net worth: £7.57billion | Getty Images
10. Shahid Khan - Fulham
Net worth: £6.1billion | AFP via Getty Images
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12. Joe Lewis, Daniel Levy - Tottenham Hotspur
Net worth: £4.48billion | Getty Images