Secretary of State (SoS) Oliver Dowden has sent the Premier League a clear message ahead of the upcoming Newcastle United takeover arbitration case.

The Lowdown: Transparency called for

Amanda Staveley, who is a member of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group looking to take over at St. James' Park, has spoken to Sky Sports referencing a letter that she wrote urging both the UK government and football regulators to ensure that the upcoming arbitration case against the Premier League is to be made public in order to give more transparency over the whole situation.

The North East club have also released a statement on their official website citing the need for ‘transparency and fairness in football governance,' and also called for the arbitration hearing to be made public.

The Latest: Dowden sends message

When asked if the Government can intervene in the takeover, Dowden, responding in a video that was shared on his official Twitter page, sent a clear message to the top flight with regards to how they should be handling the situation (via The Chronicle):

"In relation to this specific case of course that is for the Premier League to go through their processes.

"I want them to do that as quickly as possible.

"And in the most transparent way as possible.

"That is the right way to address it."

The Verdict: Transparency needed

Following on from the previous calls for transparency by both the Tyneside club and Staveley, Dowden is absolutely right to ask for the same from the Premier League with regards to the takeover situation.

They could do this by agreeing to make the arbitration process public, as it would mean that everything is out in the open and thus prove they would have nothing to hide... if that is the case of course.

Nonetheless, with how long the saga has gone on so far, the Toon Army now deserve some answers, and the results of the arbitration proceedings should give them a clear picture over the direction of where the takeover is heading.

In other news, find out what claim an ex-Magpie has made on the potential takeover here!