BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Don Hutchison has blasted Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley over the imminent sale of Ayoze Perez to Leicester City.
According to the Guardian, the Foxes are on the verge of signing the 25-year-old attacker in a deal worth around £30million after a buyout clause in his contract at St James’ Park was triggered.
Ex-Scotland international Hutchison is less than impressed with the way that Ashley is running the Tyneside club and has even suggested that he is doing it on purpose just to spite the fans.
“What the **** is Ashley doing to Newcastle? It’s like he is trying on purpose to annoy the fans,” said Hutchison via his personal Twitter account on Tuesday night.
OPINION
While there are some Newcastle fans who would surely agree with Hutchison’s point that Ashley could be trying to annoy supporters on purpose, there does not seem as though there was a lot he could have done in regards to the future of Perez. The Guardian’s report says that Leicester matched a buyout clause in the 25-year-old’s contract with their £30million offer, so what could Ashley have done? He could try to offer a new deal to Perez and talk him out of a move to the King Power, but even he would know that would be a pointless exercise. Newcastle are a complete mess at the moment but Perez’s imminent exit is not something that can be entirely pinned on Ashley. To receive £30million for a player who has blown hot and cold in five years at St James’ Park isn’t terrible. Whether that money gets reinvested into the squad or used to stuff Ashley’s pockets is the main issue here.
