A journalist has dropped what sources close to the potential takeover of Newcastle United have said about arbitration.
The Lowdown: Things heating up
Things are certainly heating up ahead of the upcoming arbitration case between the St. James' Park club and the Premier League over the failed takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.
The Tynesiders released a statement on their official website requesting for the process to be made public, and also claimed that they have ‘nothing to hide’, even suggesting that the top flight should have ‘no reason to be afraid of the public spotlight’ providing that they have acted ‘lawfully and properly’ and thus should be calling for the process to be made public as well.
Amanda Staveley, the businesswoman and head of PCP Capital Partners who is part of the consortium looking to take over at Newcastle, has also written a letter to Tracey Crouch, who is leading a government-commissioned review of the governance of football. She accused the division of a 'closely guarded lack of transparency' and argued that the administrator of the Premier League has raised 'an effective shield against public scrutiny.
Jamie Reuben, a wealthy businessman who is also part of the consortium alongside Staveley, is understood to be supportive of the letter.
The Latest: Arbitration insight
Writing in his latest piece for The Independent, journalist Tony Evans has revealed that sources close to the potential takeover have said that they have not yet been given a date for the arbitration hearing, which is set to take place this month.
This comes after the statement and the letter were released as tension seems to be building ahead of the forthcoming proceedings.
The Verdict: Pressure mounting
There is clearly pressure mounting among both parties involved in the upcoming arbitration case.
Although the willingness to release both the statement and the letter can be seen as supreme confidence, it could also come across as desperate from both Staveley and Newcastle.
On the other hand, the Premier League have now been put under huge pressure to make the case public, as they too should have 'nothing to hide'.
It is all set up for a very intriguing hearing, and the results should paint a much clearer picture over the direction of where the takeover is heading.
In other news, find out what takeover claim Ben Jacobs has dropped after reading Staveley's letter