Newcastle United securing a sponsorship deal with Saudia brings ‘exciting times’ for the club, according to journalist Lee Ryder.

The Lowdown: Saudia partnership announced

The Premier League outfit reached an agreement with Fun88 in 2017 but their reign looks set to be ending a year early, with the Chinese betting firm seeing their logo on shirts for the last time in the final game of the 2022/23 season.

The Magpies recently announced a fresh partnership with Saudi Arabia's national carrier Saudia, and whilst it remains to be seen whether their name will be on the club's kits next term, it’s believed to be worth more than Fun88’s £6.5m per year contract.

The Latest: Ryder’s reaction

Taking to Twitter, Ryder reacted to the news and was buzzing at the thought of the positive effects that this could have on Newcastle moving forward, stating: “Exciting times on and off the field for #nufc.”

Expanding in his column for Chronicle Live, the reporter claimed that Fun88’s deal will look like a ‘drop in the ocean’ compared to the club’s new commercial move, which could see them secure their ‘biggest-ever’ sponsorship agreement.

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The Verdict: Hugely encouraging news

Saudia becoming Newcastle’s official tour airline partner is massively encouraging news for the Tyneside outfit, who are set to fly out to Riyadh for their mid-season training camp this Sunday.

PIF securing this record-breaking deal will help to further boost the club’s profile and put St James’ Park on the map, although this has perhaps started to happen already after the unexpectedly strong opening to the campaign.

The Magpies could also become more attractive to other sponsors in the future, so both financially and socially, this could prove to be a huge step in the right direction.