Noel Whelan has given his reaction to what he calls a 'huge development' in the Newcastle United takeover saga.

The Lowdown: Premier League under pressure

Speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Amanda Staveley, who is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium looking to buy the Magpies, has insisted that she would not be deterred in her bid, and also called for the UK Government to intervene.

This comes after the St. James' Park faithful released a statement calling for transparency in their upcoming arbitration case against the top flight, wanting them to agree to make the process public.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, a pundit and former Leeds United and Coventry City striker, has claimed that both Staveley and Mike Ashley are trying to put pressure on the division, and suggested that they should have nothing to hide:

“Oh absolutely, no doubt about it.

“They are forcing the Premier League’s hand, as you would say in cards.

“Ashley and Staveley know exactly what they are doing. Everyone wants the Premier League to stand up and be honest.

“Again, like cards, they have been told, ‘fold’ or ‘show your hand’.

“Ashley and whoever are all saying ‘show us what you’ve got’ to the Premier League. It’s a huge development.”

The Verdict: Premier League must cooperate

The Premier League must cooperate if a decision on whether the takeover can go through can be made as soon as possible.

If they were confident of winning the forthcoming arbitration case, then they should be calling to make the process public as well, as they should have nothing to hide with regards to their handling of the deal.

Whatever result comes out of the hearing, the North East club will be relying on them for cooperation, whether that would be how the process can be sped up or whether there is a chance of restarting the bid again if all else fails.

Nonetheless, both Staveley and Ashley seem to be losing some patience now, and just want things to be moving quicker.

In other news, find out what important update Lee Ryder has shared on the CAT case here!