Daily Mail journalist Martin Samuel has cast doubt over the validity of rumours linking Peter Kenyon to another takeover attempt of Newcastle United.
The Sun reported that the businessman was trying to complete a £300 million for the Toon Army last week, but Samuel is unsure of the likelihood of that happening.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, as quoted by the Shields Gazette, he said: “I would like to announce I’m actually bidding to buy Newcastle. At the moment I’m £300million short, which I think puts me about £1.50 behind Peter Kenyon at the moment.
“This club has been for sale virtually since the man bought it. If you want to buy Newcastle, you can phone him up and have Newcastle by the afternoon. But you need £300million. If you haven’t got it, that’s a problem.”
OPINION
There are a couple of parts to this. Firstly, most Newcastle fans could have told you that Kenyon was of questionable validity without Samuel piping up like this. The likelihood of a deal getting struck any time soon feels increasingly remote, and if there is a takeover, you can’t help feeling that it won’t be completed by a man who has already failed once. Secondly, and more contentiously, is Samuel’s claim that anybody can buy Newcastle whenever they want seems fanciful at best, and potentially propagandistic at worst. Let’s not forget, this the man who conducted Ashley’s exclusive interview with the Daily Mail back in July, and judging by these latest comments, it sounds as if he has bought every word the owner said hooker, line, and sinker. To then be spreading that kind of narrative on an outlet like Sky Sports though is damaging for the cause of these fed up Toon supporters.
