Newcastle United are back among Europe s elite and Harry Redknapp sees no reason why Magpies supporters will care about their Saudi Arabia-backed ownership if their success continues.
Eddie Howe s side finished fourth in the Premier League last season, qualifying for the Champions League in their first full campaign under the majority control of Saudi Arabia s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The Magpies were flirting with relegation when a PIF-led consortium took charge in 2021, with signings including Bruno Guimaraes eventually helping them to safety.
Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak and others have since joined as Newcastle continue to invest heavily, though their owners have attracted plenty of criticism from supporters of other clubs.
Saudi Arabia has been condemned for its poor human rights record and criminalisation of same-sex relationships, but Redknapp believes those ethical questions will be ignored by most fans.
[The Saudis] are not going to mess about, they ve got the money, former Tottenham and Portsmouth manager Redknapp told Stats Perform.
They ve come in and bought Newcastle. It s the Saudis that have bought Newcastle. Do the Newcastle fans really care now whether they re from Saudi Arabia or whether they re Geordies who own the club?
They couldn t care two monkeys. For them, if they re winning games and they re taking a club forward and improving the team… they don t care, they re just happy.
WE ARE NEWCASTLE UNITED.
WE ARE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC)
Newcastle s supporters became disenchanted during the reign of previous owner Mike Ashley, with their new financial power a major boost for a club that last won a major trophy in 1955.
The Magpies are expected to mount another top-four challenge this term, and Redknapp believes that will be the only concern for most supporters.
Their team is winning, they ve got good players, the manager s great, everything s fine, he continued. They re not bothered about who owns the club.
So I think we d all get carried away. I ve always said if Saddam Hussein had bought a team, they d be singing There s only one Saddam .
The fans don t care who owns a club, as long as they re producing, bringing in better players and the team are winning.
2022/23 Season Recap
May
The lasses secure promotion
Kieran Trippier named Player of the Year
One step closer with a big win over Brighton
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!
What a season.
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC)
The PIF has also started to invest heavily in the Saudi Pro League in recent months, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and other elite players making big-money moves to the Gulf.
Premier League clubs are largely unable to compete with the financial incentives offered in Saudi Arabia, and Redknapp is unsure how England s top clubs can respond.
I don t know what response [the Premier League] can make, he continued. You re not going to stop players going over there. Give players a chance and they will go.
They can all come out and say I don t agree with this, don t agree with that, but when the money s put in front of them, they re all whizzing off over there and it won t stop.
We ve seen players going and there s an awful lot more who would love the opportunity. I speak to people who ask me if I know anybody who can get certain players, top players, over there, international players that want to go.
When the money is there and they can treble or quadruple their wages, they re going to go. It s going to be the place a lot of players are going to want to go and play, and make a fortune.
