Temuri Ketsbaia names the issue Newcastle’s prospective new owners ‘will face’ from the off

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Newcastle United cult hero Temuri Ketsbaia has warned the club’s prospective new owners about how much more they could be having to pay for players, in conversation with The Sun.

The Magpies are in the final stages of a takeover bid, with the Premier League club now very close to being bought off Mike Ashley.

PCP Capital Partners, headed by Amanda Staveley, have brokered the £300million deal which is being backed by the Saudi Arabian royal family’s Public Investment Fund.

Newcastle’s prospective new owners are expected to have major ambitions upon arriving at St. James’ Park and there is hope that the Magpies would become one of the wealthiest clubs in football.

However, Ketsbaia has claimed that the club may have to pay “double” for a player’s signature compared to clubs in or around London.

“If you want the best players, sure they want to earn the big money, but they want to live in London,” the former Georgia international told The Sun.

“If you want to bring a player to Newcastle, you maybe have to pay him double for his signature. This is what the new owners will face. But if you’ve got the money, why not? Sure they could challenge again for the title.”

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Ketsbaia is by no means the first football figure to claim Newcastle will struggle to attract top players to the north-east and he won’t be the last.

Craig Burley, Harry Kewell, Jamie Redknapp, Graeme Souness, Gary Neville… the list goes on and on and on.

Aside from the fact Newcastle is a thriving city with a population over 300,000 people (the Tyneside area is close to 900,000), if being in or near London really is such a dealbreaker for players, how do you explain the success of Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United over the years?

Professional footballers are just that… professional. They’ll go where they feel their ambitions will be met, whether that be silverware, money, or both.

If Newcastle do become the wealthiest club in the world and have real opportunities to become one of the best sides in the country, I can’t imagine a footballer will think “nah, I’d rather join a mediocre team within the M25”.