Noel Whelan has dropped a big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United after HMRC ceased their investigations into the club.
The Lowdown: HMRC drop investigations
On Thursday, it was confirmed that HMRC are discontinuing their investigation into the taxes of the St. James' Park faithful.
It now means that there is more clarity in the North East for any potential new owners who are looking to take over the Tyneside club, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.
The Latest: Takeover path may be cleared
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, who is now a pundit after a stellar footballing career playing for the likes of Leeds United and Coventry City, has claimed that the clarity may open the door for fresh takeover interest:
“Now that’s out of the way, it’s a massive plus for the football club.
“Also for any potential takeover and the buyers. It’s something that was hindering people from coming forward and wanting to buy the club.
“It opens the door for people to come in and table bids, and that’s what I expect now there’s clarity in the football club.
“The sooner someone takes over and Mike Ashley gets what he wants, the quicker they can start rebuilding.
“Newcastle deserves an owner who will look after it. Someone who will put money into it and take it back to the glory days.
“The days of David Ginola, Philippe Albert and Tino Asprilla. The shackles need to come off.”
The Verdict: HMRC conclusion can only be a positive
The conclusion of the HMRC investigation can only be a positive for the Magpies, as it does offer a lot more clarity to any potential bidders.
The investigation may have been a worry before hand, given that the Toon could well have lost a lot of money from it if it ended up going against them.
However, given that it has all been cleared up, NUFC can now focus on trying to push through a takeover of the club.
Nonetheless, they still have an arbitration case against the Premier League based on the failed bid by the KSA group, which could give an indication over what twists and turns this saga will take next.
In other news, find out what transfer boost Newcastle have been gifted here!