Amanda Staveley pledge speaks volumes as Newcastle eye unfinished business

Newcastle United fans will never forget Amanda Staveley after her persistence finally ended years of decline under Mike Ashley. Five years have whizzed by with so many challenges but that famous night remains firm in the memory.

Staveley had tried to buy Newcastle on multiple occasions but eventually found the right partners in PIF with the £305m takeover finally sanctioned by the Premier League in autumn 2021. Five years ago, Staveley contacted Chronicle Live via her agent and made it clear she wanted to tell all about her desire to take Newcastle United to the next level.

During spring 2020, the Premier League had stalled Staveley's mission to get the takeover done and dusted. But it would take around 541 gruelling, agonising days amidst a global pandemic for the club's takeover to be finally completed.

The single biggest obstacle was the piracy of Premier League broadcasting rights in Saudi Arabia via the illegal beoutQ network. Qatar-based beIN Sports held exclusive Middle East rights. In October 2021, Saudi Arabia lifted its four-year ban on beIN Sports and agreed to shut down illegal streaming websites, unblocking negotiations.

Then on October 7, the Premier League finally confirmed that the takeover had gone through, Ashley was gone, and Staveley would lead the new era along with Jamie Reuben and PIF supremo Yasir Al-Rumayyan. Fans would barely believe it until they'd seen a statement which read: "The Premier League, Newcastle United Football Club and St James Holdings Limited have today settled the dispute over the takeover of the club by the consortium of PIF, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media.

"Following the completion of the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' Test, the club has been sold to the consortium with immediate effect."

But as the anniversary of the takeover is celebrated, what has actually been achieved and how has it lined up alongside the vows exchanged in those heady first days?

It was on October 7, that Staveley sat down and told Chronicle Live: "I want this to be an open dialogue. It's not my club, it's not PIF's club; we're just here to help build this club. The fans own this club as far as we're concerned.

"The communication links - there'll be an emphasis on an open dialogue and making sure we communicate all the time."

Since then, communication has improved, but Staveley departed in summer 2024 after three years as figures such as CEO Darren Eales led the club on a day-to-day basis, and the arrival of Dan Ashworth as sporting director changed the boardroom line-up significantly.

Eales and Ashworth would leave the club and eventually be replaced by David Hopkinson last year, while the sporting director's office had a revolving door as Ashworth left for Man United, Paul Mitchell quit after just a year in post and Ross Wilson was drafted in last autumn.

There was excitement and uncertainty when the new owners came in. They spoke to Alan Shearer, Kevin Keegan and even Graeme Souness about what life at Newcastle was like, while Rafa Benitez was also consulted during previous attempts to buy the club.

Staveley said at that time: "I've texted with Alan (Shearer) a lot, and Kevin (Keegan). They're heroes. I'm so excited to be able to sit down with Alan - I hope he gets involved because it's his club and it's so important. We don't want to dash in, though. It has to be the right thing that he's doing."

In the end, Shearer's relationship improved with Newcastle, but there would be no permanent appointment while Keegan also opted against any type of return. Within a couple of weeks, then boss Steve Bruce was paid off and knew from day one he would be leaving.

Bruce has later claimed: "They [Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi] both came in and said ‘look Steve, how can we help you?’.

"And I said ‘look, I’m the only negative left’. The euphoria of Newcastle, the support, the crowd, everything about it was as if the doom and gloom had shifted and everything was euphoric. They’ve had an unbelievable rise in 18 months or two years.

"But I had to say to them, ‘you might have to take me out of the equation’. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to say, but I realised it was best for the club because everything was euphoric around it, the only negative was me."

In the end, Staveley appointed Eddie Howe, and nobody can argue it wasn't a great decision that served Newcastle well. Howe led the team to safety in his first year in 2022 and even overachieved, finishing 11th, beating Arsenal in a famous final home game of the season.

Howe qualified for the Champions League in 2023 and had a near miss from Europe in 2024, before again bringing the Champions League and the Carabao Cup to the table in 2025.

It's still early days for Matthias Jaissle but if he achieves what Howe has in the same space of time, a trophy and a couple of Champions League qualifications he will have done well. They are big shoes to fill though.

What was made clear after the takeover got the green light was that Saudi Arabia would not run the club. Staveley was very insistent about that on October 7.

The Premier League said that day: "The Premier League has now received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United Football Club."

Staveley also said of PIF: "His excellency (Al-Rumayyan) is a great partner. I'm incredibly honoured to work with him and partner with the PIF. I kind of see him as my boss, but that's just the way I am. He's patient, he's driven, ambitious, and he's everything Newcastle need. The PIF are an incredible group, and I'm honoured to be working with them.

"Jamie [Reuben] is like my brother, and I've done a lot of work with the Reuben family. Jamie's at the heart of this deal and the Reubens have invested a lot into this deal. There was never any doubt that Newcastle was the one we wanted."

The truth is that PIF have taken a step back while injecting the funds they could in accordance with various financial rules. And the day to day running of the club was left to Staveley for the first two or three years, with the Ripon financier appearing in meetings and Zoom calls picked up on the Prime Video documentary. The likes of Eales and Hopkinson have steered the club on a daily basis since while the sporting side of the business was led by Ashworth, Mitchell and now Wilson.

Five years in Newcastle's achievements on the field have included two qualifications for the Champions League and nights against Barcelona, Paris St-Germain and AC Milan. They won the Carabao Cup in 2025 and reached another final, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

That momentous day five years ago almost seems like a distant memory. Football doesn't stand still - you are only as good as your next game. What will the next five years bring and what is needed?

Hopkinson said in 2025, shortly after appointment as Toon supremo, that the club would be fighting for world titles. It was seen a brave vow by some observers, and others felt it placed pressure on former boss Howe.

Hopkinson said: "By 2030, I see this club being in the debate about being the top club in the world. That's where I see us by 2030 - and that kind of progress doesn't take as long as you might think. What it takes is clarity of conviction.

"We need to be totally aligned about the fact that that's what we want to do. We have to have the courage to ignore those that doubt us, and even those that laugh at us. Because there will be some. I've been through this journey before."

In truth, while challenging for the Premier League title by 2030 is achievable, winning it is a different matter. Lifting tougher titles like the Champions League or FIFA World Club Cup feels like it's in a different stratosphere as Newcastle sit in ninth in autumn 2026.

However, there is nothing wrong with being ambitious, and while Staveley took on the role of club leader - and cheerleader - when the Magpies were on the floor and at the foot of the Premier League, success did follow, with a few ups and downs thrown in.

Are Newcastle a different club since October 7, 2021? You'd have to say they are but there is plenty of distance left to run.

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