Newcastle United is now regarded as the wealthiest football club globally, a distinction that stems from the vast resources of its ownership group. With financial power that surpasses that of other teams, the club demonstrated its financial might in the January 2022 transfer window. They invested heavily, spending more than any other European team, to avoid the danger of relegation. These player signings paid off, as the team achieved a comfortable 11th place finish in the Premier League last season.
In the current 2022/23 season, Newcastle has continued to prosper under manager Steve Howe and is now on track to compete for a spot in the Champions League, currently sitting in third place in the table. They are also competing in the semifinals of the Carabao Cup.
Recently, the club was not as financially robust, with former owner Mike Ashley limiting resources. However, in October 2021, a consortium took over the club with the intention of turning its fortunes around and making it a major player in English and European football.
Ownership Newcastle United
The majority ownership and control of Newcastle United Football Club has been taken over by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) with 80% of the shares. The public face representing PIF is Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who holds the title of Governor and Chairman of PIF as well as Chairman of the giant petroleum and natural gas company, Saudi Aramco.
10% of the shares have been acquired by PCP Capital Partners, a business owned by Amanda Staveley, who was instrumental in the takeover of Manchester City by Sheikh Mansour in 2008. Staveley and Al-Rumayyan have frequently been seen as the leading figures behind this deal.
The remaining 10% of shares have gone to the Reuben brothers, two prominent British business magnates.
How much did Newcastle United cost?
The consortium of buyers, consisting of several investors, finally acquired Newcastle United Football Club for a reported sum of $415 million. The journey to acquiring the club was long and filled with obstacles. The initial paperwork was submitted in April 2020, but the length and complexity of the deal caused it to experience numerous setbacks. At one point, it appeared as though the takeover had failed when Newcastle United released a statement claiming that the league had rejected the consortium.
However, after months of negotiations, the takeover was officially announced on October 7, 2021. Many experts attribute the successful completion of the deal to the settling of the beIN Sports piracy dispute.
Compared to other recent football club acquisitions, the $415 million paid by the consortium is relatively high. For comparison, Farhad Moshiri paid $270 million for Everton in 2016 and Dragan Solak and Sport Republic paid $136 million for an 80 percent controlling interest in Southampton.
Newcastle player transfers under new owners
Under the previous ownership of Mike Ashley, many fans expressed disappointment with the lack of financial support and clear direction for the club. However, with the arrival of new decision-makers, they have promised to rectify these issues. Evidence of their commitment to this change can be seen in their active participation in the costly January 2022 transfer market, where multiple moves have been made to strengthen the team.
| Player | Previous Club | Transfer fee |
| Bruno Guimaraes | Lyon | $43.4 million |
| Chris Wood | Burnley | $32.6 million |
| Dan Burn | Brighton | $17 million |
| Kieran Trippier | Atletico Madrid | $15.6 million |
