5 managers Newcastle United should target after Saudi takeover
Newcastle United are ready to embark on a new voyage where being economical and budget-friendly will seem like a crime. Exciting times await the Magpies, with their long-awaited big-money takeover finally completed, making the club one of the richest entities in world football.
Mike Ashley's 14-year-old tenure as the owner of Newcastle United has ended in what has been the longest takeover saga of ownership for any Premier League club. The takeover could have been completed last year but stalled due to Premier League concerns.
Now, however, after finding middle ground with broadcaster BeIN Sports, the club's 80 per cent stake will rest with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
Newcastle United are gearing up for a new chapter
No more relegation battles or flirting with average players and bargain buys. No more appointing cheap and easily available managers with little ambition and no experience to fight for silverware. The time has come for Newcastle United to show their ambitious side and with the involvement of Saudi money, there is a great possibility they are destined to do it.
The first place to begin will be to bring home a manager with an appetite for success. Newcastle's unconvincing start to the season has only added to the pressure that Steve Bruce faced last year as well. It's only a matter of time before he's shown the door and it could happen very soon.
On that note, here are the five managers Newcastle United must target in the wake of their big-money takeover:
#5 Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard is a Chelsea man through and through and one could say he still dreams of taking Thomas Tuchel's job at Stamford Bridge. But here is an opportunity that will be equally rewarding in terms of money, if not more, and could be a stepping stone for Lampard to repair his tarnished reputation.
Newcastle United would clearly require bringing in quality players and this time they would not have to worry about being cautious with spending every pound. Lampard was in a similar situation when Chelsea's transfer ban was lifted and he went on a shopping spree. Although he was sacked midway through, Chelsea won the Champions League under Tuchel's management.
Frank Lampard: "One of my teachers said that I would never be a football player... When I made my debut, I sent him a ticket." 😎
Chelsea and premier league legend 👏. https://t.co/PD7i5Iwmkw
The former Chelsea boss has shown that he knows how to build a progressive team. Additionally, he would have learned from his mistakes at Chelsea after watching Tuchel employ his men in various positions with a different system.
Newcastle United fans have been demanding that their side get rid of players with a defensive mindset and bring in offensive players to play on the front foot. Lampard could be at the heart of this rebuild and being a legend himself, he can build a connection with the Newcastle United fanbase as well. The big question is, are we going to see Mason Mount in black and white then?
#4 Andrea Pirlo
If your club has harbored a player like Jonjo Shelvey among your ranks, you can't dream of a midfielder of Andrea Pirlo's stature playing for your team. However, Newcastle United could yet acquire the services of a legendary figure like Pirlo to mark the beginning of a new era under the Saudi Arabian regime as their manager.
Pirlo led Juventus to a fourth-place finish last year. An early exit in Round of 16 of the Champions League saw him receive a lot of criticism. However, the inexperienced manager took over an aging squad that was backed by little depth.
Juventus' financial struggles were clearly not going to be easy for Pirlo to function under, something that returning manager Max Allegri is also struggling with. At Newcastle United, the case will be different, the financial freedom will be unlike anything Juventus could have provided and he will have a chance to blend youth with experience in his own way.
Andrea Pirlo’s record as Juventus manager across all competitions, in 52 games:
34 - wins
10 - draws
8 - losses
65.38 % win percentage. 🇮🇹 https://t.co/gzkf5PLSiP
For a new manager like Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo's presence at a club that pretends to have ambitions in the Champions League wasn't making it easy to implement his philosophy. Newcastle United are a club that has no expectations in Europe at the moment, which will be advantageous for Pirlo as he could focus purely on just domestic competition.