Signs of stability? Or primed for a sale?
Posted on December 28th, 2010 | 93 Comments |
This is, of course, good news for Newcastle United and gives us a bit of stability with regard to the playing staff going forward, but does it signal that there could be more going on behind the scenes? Could Mike Ashley be making the business more saleable?
There is no doubt that the offering of new, long-term contracts is good for the club, but it would also be good for Mike Ashley’s bank balance in the event of a sale. After all, a stable club with it’s best potential assets tied down to long-term deals would be worth a lot more money compared to a club that was floundering along with no forward planning. I mean, even the manager has a contract that could last over five years, although there is a rather cunning clause put in by Ashley that will allow Pardew to be disposed of for minimal compensation, something that would appeal to both Ashley and any new owner who will more than likely want to install their own man in the event of a change of ownership.
Of course, you could look at these moves and assume that Mike Ashley planning for the long term at Newcastle for himself. Perhaps he is happy to stick around and is willing to give it another go with the aim of getting us up the league and hopefully into Europe. After all, that would improve the value of the club further in the event of a sale. Maybe Ashley is happy to back his own man this time around?
Whatever happens, and whatever the motive behind these new deals, it is good new for the club in the long run. The only way to make the club more valuable is to improve it and make it more stable. After all, we already have the infrastructure and ground in place to be able to compete with the best.
I’m cautiously optimistic at the moment. We have tied down some good young players to long-term deals, we have a backrrom staff setup for the first time in ages, and it is still going to be added to, apparently! We hear that the manager will be allowed to dip into the transfer market in January, and we also hear that Hatem Ben Arfa is is on the list of players to sign.
Time will tell on all of that of course, but it all appears to be good news for us, and would all be good news for the value of the club if it was all true.
So what do YOU think? Is Ashley priming us for a sale? Or is he priming us for a long term future with himself at the helm?
Let us know what you think.
‘Is Ashley priming us for a sale? Or is he priming us for a long term future with himself at the helm?’
Either way, it’s good for the club, so long may it contiune.
Note of caution toonsy, there’s only one direction future threads can go after this one, ‘Has Mike ashley been the best thing Newcastle Utd could have asked for?’
Careful ;)