[Saba Sports News] Miguel Delaney, editor in chief of the Independent newspaper in Britain, wrote a column about the aftermath of the Saudi consortium’s bid for Newcastle United. According to them, the Magpies were unable to satisfy the Saudi ambitions in football. Chelsea and Liverpool, two of the Premier League’s biggest clubs, and Barcelona, a members-only La Liga powerhouse, are likely to be targeted next.
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The 2034 World Cup follows a series of tie-ups between Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s national oil company, and FIFA, as well as the recruitment of high-profile European stars to Saudi Arabia’s professional soccer league. They include two superstars: Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. The acquisition of Newcastle, an established English Premier League team, is naturally an important part of Saudi football’s branding.
However, just recently, the UK’s Daily Telegraph revealed some of the inside information of the Saudi consortium buying Newcastle, suggesting that both Saudi Arabia and the UK were involved in high-level government intervention behind the scenes. It could also lead British lawmakers to re-examine the details of the takeover. But it was clear that Newcastle had not satisfied the Saudis. There is a sense that they would prefer to buy a bigger and more influential team than Newcastle.
Among them, the most discussed are two English Premier League giants, Liverpool and Chelsea. The former has been penny-pinched under the Fenway Sports Group and Liverpool might still be struggling for the top four were it not for Jurgen Klopp’s efforts. In fact, as early as last season, Fenway Group was rumored to be selling the club, and there were even reports that a Qatari consortium wanted to buy the club and made a £4 billion offer.
Despite being ridiculed for spending lavishly in the transfer market after being bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, Chelsea has emerged from the pain of a combined squad and is showing the advantage of having a wide array of players. It seems unrealistic to expect Burley to quit the club at this point.
Barca, by contrast, would be harder to buy under a membership system. The La Liga giants are rumoured takeover targets in Saudi Arabia because of the financial crisis they are currently facing, which could even end full membership ownership and force the club to sell a stake. If that happens, it would be an opportunity for the Saudi consortium.