Souness claims Saudis are in for a big shock if they complete £300m takeover of Newcastle United
Former boss Graeme Souness has warned our potential new owners that it will be very difficult to attract players may not be attracted to the North East of England.
Grumpy Graeme as I like to call him, is notorious for always putting a downer on things, and he has cited the modern day player and their preference for a move to London as a concern for us going forward.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Souness said:
“As always, it'll come down to what players they can attract there,"
"If they get a big budget to work with, I still think attracting them up to Newcastle will be difficult unless you pay them way beyond the going rate.
"As has been the case for a long time, Newcastle have had to pay a premium to get good players to go up there.
"Would the very best go up there? I'm not sure.
"I got back to my time as a player and nobody wanted to play for a London club, we weren't on the dosh that would allow you to shop in Harrods most days and live in a Kinsighton area.
"No one wanted to go anywhere near London, that's all changed now because of the money the players get today they can afford the very best that is on offer down there.
"I think attracting the very best will be difficult going forward and as always there will be a premium to attract good players up there."
This is something us Toon fans have had to hear in the past, but whether it is believable is another topic of debate.
The two biggest clubs in England are Manchester United and Liverpool, with both clubs never struggling to attract players and funnily enough, are both in the North.
Did Souness fire the same criticism at Manchester City when they got taken over? They had to pay a premium, yes, but that was down to current league standing rather than geographical location.
I might be biased in my opinion here, but Newcastle is one of the best cities in the country. No Toon fan even has to tell this to a foreign player who may be weighing up his options, just tell them to contact a David Ginola Tino Asprilla, a Laurent Robert or a Jonas Gutierrez - just a select few of the foreign players who have excelled and enjoyed their time on Tyneside.
Souness is talking nonsense once again.
