Newcastle United’s long-awaited takeover has finally taken place and has provided the giant club of the northeast the opportunity to try and return to the heights of the Premier League that they had once experienced some time ago.
Although they are yet to win the top competition in English football, the Magpies had once been a side that managed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League on a semi-regular basis and did continually challenge near the top.
The black-and-white striped team might not be able to do that in the immediate future, but with the backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, there is evidence to suggest that it could happen as Chelsea and Manchester City have both managed to do it in the past.
Indeed, there will be many that may be looking to use 1×2 betting tips based on data once the Premier League season resumes, although placing wagers on Newcastle might have to wait until after January as that is when they will have the first opportunity to truly flex their muscles in the transfer window – even if Steve Bruce is dismissed long before the transfer window.
Considering that the Magpies will now be worth over £320 billion, it would not be a surprise to see them invest in the playing squad sooner rather than later, although it might be interesting to see how Manchester City went about it with their first 10 signings to see what may happen.
The team at GiveMeSport have looked at them in detail and it shows that there was a rather mixed bag of results.
Robinho
Arriving in controversial circumstances as he was initially thought to have been heading to Chelsea, City showed real intent when they brought Robinho to the Etihad Stadium in 2008.
However, things did not go as well for the Brazilian as they had in Spain and Italy, and as a result, he did not last long.
Wayne Bridge
Chelsea’s Wayne Bridge made the move to City after losing his spot to Ashley Cole sometime earlier, but the same happened for him here, as well, before moving on to finish off at Reading in 2014.
Craig Bellamy
Craig Bellamy – a former Newcastle United player – managed to make 51 appearances for the Citizens before he left the club. He netted 15 times, which isn’t a bad return in fairness.
Nigel de Jong
Arguably one of the best midfielders in the league when he was playing, the only problem was his discipline as it would often get him into trouble. Nonetheless, he racked up 157 appearances before moving on.
Shay Given
Another former Magpie, Shay Given headed to Manchester City in 2009 and became the first choice ‘keeper before being moved on to Aston Villa in 2011. He is now a coach with Wayne Rooney at Derby County – a team former Newcastle owner, Mike Ashley, is rumoured to be interested in.
Gunnar Nielsen
Gunnar Nielsen is a player people would be forgiven if they had never been able to remember him, as he made just one appearance in three years after signing from Blackburn Rovers.
Gareth Barry
Having hijacked the move for Robinho from Chelsea, they also managed to hijack Liverpool’s move for Gareth Barry in 2009 and it proved to be an excellent decision as he helped them to win the Premier League title in 2010/11 as he missed just four matches.
Roque Santa Cruz
Perhaps a bit of a cult hero for some at Blackburn, it might be fair to say that City fans will not see Roque Santa Cruz in the same light after his torrid time at the Etihad Stadium. He scored just four times in 24 appearances before being moved on.
Stuart Taylor
Playing just once in three years, it was clear that Stuart Taylor was signed just to allow City to fill out their English homegrown quota and keep those who create the rules happy.
Carlos Tevez
Swapping one half of Manchester for the other is a cardinal sin and Carlos Tevez decided to do it. It worked out well for him, though, as he won the Premier League title in 2011/12.
