Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
‘I’d be delighted’: Newcastle fan favourite would love St James’ Park return after Mike Ashley leaves
With Newcastle United on the verge of getting new owners, Magpies cult hero Faustino Asprilla has offered his services to the club, as well as giving his verdict on who should be in the St James’ Park dugout.
Newcastle are in the final stages of a takeover bid, with the club now very close to being bought off Mike Ashley, as was reported by last week.
PCP Capital Partners, headed by Amanda Staveley, have brokered the £300million deal which is being backed by the Saudi Arabian royal family’s Public Investment Fund.
Ashley and PCP have entered into a binding agreement, with terms agreed and a deposit paid, and documentation has been sent to the Premier League.
Newcastle’s prospective new owners are expected to have major ambitions upon arriving at St. James’ Park, and it could mean an uncertain future for Bruce.
Asprilla reckons the current manager should retain his position and given the chance to show what he can do on a big budget.
“I think we have to keep Steve Bruce. He’s a good manager and coach, so I think he should stay,” Asprilla told .
“He knows the club well. He’s done very good things with limited resources in recent times, so I think he’ll be able to achieve more than he has so far with better players at his disposal.
“All the coaches are good and the players are good. I have no doubts about that. I think we have to keep him in his role so that he keeps working on this big project.”
As well as giving Bruce his seal of approval, Asprilla – – says he would jump at the opportunity of returning to St James’ Park in a coaching capacity.
“If they were to give me the chance [to coach the strikers], I would be delighted to go back because I like the people in Newcastle and the way they treated me,” the 50-year-old said.
“So, if I can contribute something to help achieve what I didn’t win on the pitch and can do that off the pitch by coaching the strikers, it would be a pleasure.”
TBR View:
Newcastle fans have had to put up with many prior stories of protracted takeover talks over the years but the latest reports suggest that one is now closer than ever.
The Saudi group is reported to have assets of more than $320billion, so there is certainly plenty to get excited about.
While Bruce wasn’t exactly many fans’ preferred option to replace Rafael Benitez – to put it mildly – he hasn’t done too badly with the resources at his disposal.
Asprilla, however, is adamant that Bruce should remain in the job, as well as offering his services to the club, a prospective appointment which ought to go down very well with the Toon Army.