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Amanda Staveley has confirmed the consortium that bought Newcastle considered bids for Serie A giants Inter Milan and AC Milan before returning to the Premier League.
Alongside Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Jamie Reuben’s RB Sports & Media, Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners was part of the group that completed a £305million takeover of Newcastle last month.
The PIF now has an 80 per cent stake in the Tyneside club, making it the richest football club owner in the world.
That wealth is expected to have a transformative effect at St James’ Park, but it was not always a given the consortium would invest at Newcastle.
Staveley was first interested in doing a deal with former owner Mike Ashley four years ago, and the group considered its options as the saga dragged on.
The PIF was linked to Inter, and Staveley has confirmed the Nerazzurri, rivals Milan and Ligue 1’s Bordeaux were all options, yet none could compete with the opportunity to join the lucrative Premier League.
“We talked to Inter Milan, AC [Milan], but the problem was the structure of the league was a mess,” Staveley told reporters.
“We looked briefly at Bordeaux. But we’re not looking at Inter [anymore].”
Speaking to Newcastle’s club media, meanwhile, Staveley discussed the appointment of new head coach Eddie Howe, describing him as a “perfect fit” despite prior interest in Unai Emery. The former Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal coach chose instead to stay at Villarreal.
“We had to do a full search of the marketplace to find the perfect fit, and Eddie is the perfect fit,” she said. “We couldn’t have imagined bringing in a better manager.”
Howe was asked about the Emery approach this week but appeared to have no issue with seemingly being Newcastle’s second choice.
“Obviously my life is affected by those decisions,” he said. “They were out of my hands. I just let the process happen.
“I was reading stuff in the media to see where things were going to go. Naturally, I was delighted and so pleased when things turned to me.
“I was obviously desperate for the opportunity here. What will be, will be. If you can’t control it, I don’t see the point in expending energy towards it. Now I am here, I can put all my energy into it.”
