The Bin Zayed Group blame Mike Ashley for the failure of their bid to take over Newcastle United this summer, according to The Chronicle.
In a column written by Neil Mitchell, former chair of the NUST who now resides in Dubai, it is made clear that through a face to face meeting the middle eastern consortium are convinced of Ashley’s role in derailing their takeover attempt.
The article reads: “Bin Zayed spent a lot of time and effort preparing a bid that they believed would be acceptable to Mike Ashley and were deeply disappointed that it could not be progressed.
“Why the bid ultimately was not successful I believe to be down to a number of factors but the main factor, as always, has been the attitude of the owner to negotiating a deal.
“As far as they’re concerned, they have not gone anywhere.”
OPINION
Newcastle fans will hardly be surprised to hear this one. The Toon Army are sick to the back teeth of Ashley at this point, and it’s fair to say that his constant awkwardness is a real bone of contention amongst supporters. In this instance, if we are to believe the BZG, it sounds as if he has simply shut down their attempted buyout on the basis of the fact that he didn’t want to sell. Now, obviously, that is the seller’s prerogative, but why is the club on the market if he has no desire to actually get rid of it. There are always two sides to every story, of course, but in this case, given Ashley’s track record for leading fans on a merry dance, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to learn that the deal fell through purely because Ashley made an effort to ensure it did. For now, the saga drags, and only time will tell what can convince Ashley to sell up.
