OPINION
It is difficult to think of a club owner in Britain as high profile and universally maligned as Mike Ashley.
The controversial businessman has been so poor during his tenure at Newcastle United that he has inspired something akin to open revolt against him, and by the looks of things, that unrest won’t end until the day he walks out of the door marked exit at St. James’ Park.
The main issue many fans have with the Sports Direct mogul is his unwillingness to splash the cash.
Admittedly, the Magpies have broken their transfer record twice since the start of the year, snapping up Miguel Almiron and then Joelinton, but prior to that, the club hadn’t paid out a record fee since they signed Michael Owen back in 2005 – two years before Ashley took the wheel on Tyneside.
Quite simply, things haven’t been good enough in the transfer market, but according to former Toon striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, that could all be about to change.
The Serbian left the north east back in 2018 after failing to get enough game time, but still speaks highly of Ashley, and has suggested that his stingy days could be over.
Speaking on talkSPORT (July 29th, 11.30am), he said: “I think he will invest money.
“He’s bought the player [Joelinton], £40 million from Hoffenheim.
“I think he is a little bit more careful than the other owners, but I think he’s made some good signings and some good deals.”
This will surely have Toon fans scratching their heads.
Nothing about Ashley’s behaviour up to this point has suggested that he is about o embark on some kind of spending spree, and if anything, it would be much more like him to make one statement signing as a means of staving off the wolves for a little longer, and then putting his chequebook firmly back in his pocket.
Hopefully Mitrovic is right, but it’s hard not to doubt what he is saying.
