A Middle East expert has dropped a big claim on Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) amid the speculation surrounding the takeover of Newcastle United.
Dr Kristian Ulrichsen tweeted his thoughts in response to the news that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) had ended the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) crisis after resolving their disputes with Qatar that have been apparent since 2017.
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Ulrichsen claimed that putting MbS, who is the Crown Prince of the KSA, front and centre at the summit and making him the public face of the newly-formed ties with Qatar was ‘likely a carefully choreographed move to present him as a regional statesman and draw a line under the past’.
MbS was very much part of the consortium looking to take over at St. James’ Park, but the £300m deal with Mike Ashley collapsed, with speculation that the bid could still be revived.
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What impact do the ties have on the Newcastle takeover?
Although the ties between the two countries do not directly impact the prospective takeover of the Tyneside club in themselves, they certainly present a step in the right direction in terms of trying to get the deal back on track.
The next step may well be for the Saudis to unban the access to Qatari broadcaster beIN for their residents, which would surely ease the tensions further between them as well as the Premier League, given the piracy issues surrounding the illegal streaming of games from the top flight.
In other news, find out what big takeover update Luke Edwards has dropped here!
