Appointing Steve Bruce as Newcastle United manager would all but end any hopes of a takeover this summer, according to Chronicle journalist Chris Waugh.
As reported by the Telegraph, Bruce is on the verge of being named as the new boss on Tyneside, but Waugh has detailed what that would mean for a prospective buyout.
Writing in a piece for the Chronicle, he said: “Should Bruce be appointed, then we can deduce one of two things: either the likelihood of a takeover happening in the short term is minimal and so Ashley is working on the assumption he will remain owner in the medium term; or, alternatively, a change in ownership is indeed imminent and the prospective future custodians have been briefed at every stage of the managerial search, and have agreed with the Sheffield Wednesday boss being approached.
“The latter appears to be the least likely of the conclusions.”
OPINION
This essentially just confirms what fans have known deep down for some time now. The chances of a takeover going through this summer are pretty much non-existent at this stage. It would take a miracle for a deal to be announced any time soon, and as far as a new owner coming in and doing anything to improve the current squad, that deadline has surely been and gone. As Waugh rightly points out, there is the slightest of possibilities that Bruce is actually the man who any prospective new owner wants to bring in, but bearing in mind that it wasn’t too long ago that there was talk of Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, that seems somewhat unlikely. It would appear that this is Newcastle’s lot this season – Bruce and Ashley. Here’s hoping it’s enough to keep them up.
