Frank McAvennie has now dropped a big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United following the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) hearing.

The Lowdown: CAT case underway

The CAT case between the St. James' Park faithful and the Premier League over the stalled takeover deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium got underway on Wednesday morning.

In a revelation cited by The Daily Telegraph, the North East club were threatened with expulsion from the top flight, and their separate arbitration case will now take place on 3rd January.

The Latest: McAvennie on takeover

Speaking to Football Insider, former Celtic and West Ham United striker McAvennie, 61, has claimed that the takeover will go through, as the Premier League have been put under too much pressure:

“Ashley has done everything.

“He gave a price, he got the price, he’s ready to sell. It’s just the Premier League now.

“I’m sure they will get it done now. There is too much pressure on the league now.

“I think the takeover will go through and that will be really exciting for Newcastle fans, they deserve it.

“They have agreed to sell the club, who are the Premier League to interject in that?”

The Verdict: Arbitration key

There is no doubt that the arbitration hearing is now key for the direction of where the takeover is heading.

The top flight certainly seem to be feeling the heat after threatening the Tyneside outfit with expulsion, and so it makes the proceedings next year more interesting.

Nonetheless, the whole takeover saga has been going on for far too long now, and so a swift conclusion is needed for all of the parties involved in the deal, which should come after the arbitration process has finished.

In other news, find out what an inside source has revealed about Steve Bruce's future here!