Mike Ashley only interested in Saudi takeover resolution & won't pay Bruce off - Report
According to The Sun's Alan Nixon, Mike Ashley will not pull the trigger on Steve Bruce as his main priority remains selling the football club to the Saudis - not paying £3m plus to sack his man.
A baffling stance from the absent NUFC owner, as his chances of sealing a much needed takeover will only become slimmer if the club can't get themselves out of the relegation zone.
An arbitration hearing between Newcastle United and the Premier League is set to take place on January 3 as the club looks to prove there is significant separation between the Saudi State and the Public Investment Fund.
Steve Bruce has come under heavy fire in recent weeks due to our poor start to the campaign; Wolves on Saturday was no exception as we slumped to another dismal defeat in the league.
Toon fans have criticised the top flight for their lack of decisiveness on the takeover, accusing them of holding our club in limbo for as long as this ongoing saga plays out.
Here's a snippet from Nixon's latest piece for The Sun:
Top sources close to both Bruce and Ashley reveal the owner will not pull the trigger as his priority remains finding a buyer.
Ashley knows it would cost £3million to axe Bruce - plus more to get rid of his backroom staff.
A replacement also takes that bill higher than he wants to pay - so the incumbent will stay to try and keep the Magpies up.
Not only have we been denied a buyout that could've transformed our club, it's left us stuck with an owner who clearly has zero care for our current predicament.
Every other club would have sacked Bruce a long time ago. No win in our opening seven games has us sitting second bottom and scratching our heads as to where our next victory will come from.
The never-ending takeover saga has affected the club in the transfer market and now it is having an impact on who stands in the dugout, too.
Ashley’s problem is that he might not have his football club sold at all if it finds itself on the cusp of relegation by the time arbitration comes around.
Neglecting us will come back to bite him on the backside if we find ourselves adrift come the New Year.
Could you imagine a situation where NUFC wins the arbitration case, but PIF no longer wants to buy us as we are nailed on to be playing in the Championship next season?
