Lee Ryder has dropped some enticing insight from chiefs of the Premier League on both of the Newcastle United takeover cases launched against them.
The Lowdown: Ashley launches claims
Mike Ashley has launched an arbitration case against the top flight with regards to the failed takeover deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, which is set to take place in the coming months.
The chief executive of Sports Direct has also launched a separate anti-competition lawsuit against the division over their decision-making process in the failed takeover bid, which will be kept in his back pocket in case the arbitration hearing does not in his favour.
The Latest: Premier League insight
Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder, North East football journalist who has been following the whole takeover saga closely, has shared that chiefs of the Premier League think that both cases are too similar, and have since handed in detailed evidence to have the anti-competition lawsuit stopped.
Ryder also claimed that it looks as if the top flight are trying to play for time, by continually trying to slow down the takeover process and argue their case.
The Verdict: Premier League could be on edge
The fact that the division are seemingly trying to delay the process and arguing that the two cases are too similar does suggest that they could be feeling pessimistic about the potential outcome of the initial arbitration hearing.
Adding Ashley's confidence that he will get the right result into the mix, it seems as if the top flight could be feeling some pressure with regards to the direction in which the takeover could potentially be heading.
Nonetheless, the results of the arbitration proceedings should give a much clearer picture, and the St. James' Park faithful will need full cooperation from the division if there is any hope of the original deal being revived.