Newcastle United staff have been informed internally about plans for expansion into a multi-club structure under PIF ownership, according to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.
Hope reported that “Newcastle staff have been told to prepare for expansion into a multi-club model, in the biggest indicator yet that a Saudi-owned network will enter mainland Europe.”
Hope added that the development “could come as soon as this year,” with work ongoing “to identify the right clubs from a football and financial perspective,
including in both Belgium and France.”
One of the key motivations behind the move relates to recruitment restrictions following Brexit.
“Given one of the primary motivations behind the model is the ability to buy and develop overseas players under the age of 18, Confidential understands that academy staff have recently been briefed on the plans,” Hope wrote.
With Premier League clubs blocked fromsigning players from abroad until they turn 18, having such a structure in place could help Newcastle find talents early, add them to those feeder clubs, and then bring them as part of their organization.
“For example, one young star mentioned to me last year was AIK’s exciting striker Kevin Filling,” Hope wrote, adding that because the 17-year-old is below the age threshold, “the likelihood is the Swede will end up at a bigger club on the continent this summer.”
Hope referenced Alexander Isak’s pathway as precedent.
“Alexander Isak was 17 when he left AIK for Borussia Dortmund,” Hope wrote, noting that continental clubs “have to swoop before Premier League rivals enter the race.”
The report basically outlined the structural benefit of the proposed model, which sounds kinda dreamy in an all-pros, no-cons way.
“A multi-club model, such as the one being pursued by Newcastle, opens up the possibility of players being housed elsewhere and also used to develop loan players,” Hope wrote.
We’ll see where this ends, and if PIF is in Tyneside by the time everything materializes—if it ever does.
