Mike Ashley has established a solid reputation for being the most tight-fisted and unambitious owner in English football during his time at the helm of Newcastle United, and the arrival of Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the top-flight has served to further emphasise his lack of ambition.

Newcastle United has made a profit of £16.65 million so far this summer, which begs the question: will Ashley finally break the transfer record before the transfer window closes? The obvious and most predictable answer to that question is absolutely not, and if the club do indeed fail to use the funds available to make further acquisitions there's no doubt that they will struggle to survive this season.

Meanwhile, Fulham have just added Alfie Mawson to their ranks in a deal which could eventually be worth £20 million, taking their summer spending beyond the £70 million mark.

Mawson joins a handful of quality players at Fulham who have made the switch this summer, such as Andre Schurrle, Jean Michael Seri and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The ambition which both Fulham and Wolves have shown since clinching promotion, along with the likes of West Ham and Everton who have also spent big, suggests that a new-era is beginning to take shape which will inevitably leave the unambitious behind.

Naturally, Mike Ashley's Newcastle fall into this category, and if he fails to adapt to the new super-rich era there's no doubt the Magpies will eventually have to settle for Championship football, regardless of the size of their fan-base and commercial appeal.

With Rafa Benitez at the helm there's no doubt that Newcastle have a fantastic chance of retaining their top-flight status once again next season, but how long can they continue to merely tread water before rival clubs leave them in their wake?

It's a troubling time for Newcastle supporters with super-rich investors throwing huge sums of money at relegation-threatened clubs in a bid to establish themselves in the Premier League, whilst Ashley continues to run the club with the same ridiculous attitude he has demonstrated throughout his tenure.

Time is running out for change on Tyneside, so Ashley needs to sell Newcastle as soon as possible to an owner whom is willing to invest in order to save the club from a long-term stint in the Championship.

Newcastle fans - thoughts? Let us know below!