Arteta talks held at Newcastle before Saudi takeover and £40m deal approved - Report

Tuesday morning began with the news that Toon fans had been waiting for - Joelinton has agreed to sign a new contract at the club. But buried in The Telegraph's 'exclusive' was an interesting piece of information and fascinating ‘what if?’ from North East reporter Luke Edwards.

Edwards reveals that before the appointment of Steve Bruce at Newcastle, Mike Ashley sounded out and spoke to Mikel Arteta about the job.

The current Arsenal boss, embarking on his second consecutive title fight, was an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at City and was reportedly very keen on the signing of Joelinton, with that £40m deal put to the Spaniard during talks. “Discussions took place, but Arteta, sensibly, decided it was not the right club for him,” Edwards said.

“He took over as Arsenal manager in December that year. Sources, though, have told Telegraph Sport that Arteta did approve of the Joelinton signing when it was brought up in those talks.”

Arteta, who has had some prickly times in Tyneside, did not fancy working with Mike Ashley (who can blame him?), but it has left us wondering what that alternate reality would look like - especially with the takeover we know now comes two years later.

Would the charge for Europe become common, or would Arteta have struggled with the lack of resources available from an Ashley ownership? There are so many what ifs, but the main takeaway is that Big Joe is here to stay.