Finance expert Kieran Maguire has given his reaction to some news that he has now heard from Newcastle United involving their takeover.
The Lowdown: Takeover investigation
As per The Times, a law firm run by interim Premier League chair Peter McCormick conducted preliminary checks on the Saudi-backed takeover at St. James' Park last year.
This has led to some teams in the top flight accusing the division’s decision-makers of having a vested interest, with implications of impartiality.
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-5/" title="Newcastle news!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]
According to The Times, the FA board is now set to investigate McCormick’s alleged conflict of interest.
This follows calls of potentially introducing an independent regulator for football by the government, after controversies surrounding the Public Investment Fund's (PIF) takeover.
The Latest: Maguire reacts
Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire, a Sky Sports pundit and expert in football finances, has now given his reaction to the news of the investigation, claiming that while the North East club have 'nothing to worry about', it does look 'embarrassing' for them after wrapping up the deal:
“There’s nothing to worry about for Newcastle because they have done nothing wrong.
“But it does look embarrassing if this investigation goes ahead. You can understand the optics of it in that respect.
“The club has, however, been completely vindicated in their eyes and indeed in their fans’ eyes with regards to the PIF takeover.”
The Verdict: Move on
The takeover is a done deal, and whatever disagreements and conflicts remain surrounding it, football simply has to move on.
The investigation can be launched, but as Maguire claims, they will likely find nothing that the Tyneside outfit have done wrong with regards to the takeover, and so it just seems a frustrating waste of time.
Nonetheless, introducing an independent regulator should remove all controversies for future takeovers of football clubs, but for now the Toon Army should be allowed to look forward to what lies ahead for them.