Former Chelsea defender and TalkSport host, Jason Cundy has warned Arsenal that getting back inside the top four is going to get tougher as Newcastle United gets close to being taken over by a new owner.
TalkSport says a financial consortium backed by the Saudi government will take over the Magpies soon.
The deal has been in the pipeline since last year before it initially collapsed.
However, it is back on after the Premier League cleared the prospective new owners to buy the club.
When it goes through, the Magpies will have the richest owner in the Premier League with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman set to own the club.
The new owners will obviously spend as much as Manchester City has done to win the Premier League or at least break into the top four and Cundy believes they are a new challenger to Arsenal, who are rebuilding to get back in the Champions League places.
“This is a new kid on the block trying to muscle in on the richest clubs in England – Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Man United,” the ex-Chelsea defender said on TalkSport’s Sports Bar.
“Now there’s a new kid on the block in Newcastle.
“They’re coming in to shake-up football and get into the Champions League football and win the Premier League, that’s what their doing.
“Roman Abramovich is a billionaire, he’s not at Chelsea to make money he’s there to deliver trophies and with Man City, it’s exactly the same.
“They don’t care what they spend! Everton do, Spurs are different, Arsenal are very different, but this is a different animal.”
Correct.The ES was created so that Arsenal can compete with self sufficiency. Alas it is not so easy as it seems.
Arsenal have failed to win the epl since 2004 and have been unable to challenge for the title the last ten years.
It looks like NU will fight for the top 4 . Where will that leave Arsenal?Wait for MA’s plan to bear fruit?By then the top teams will be out sight.
What terrible news! A sad day indeed. By the time Arteta’s project is maturing Newcastle will be another top 4 contender. I feel so hopeless right now 😭
Arsenal should not be shaken up with what is happening to other teams. AFC should be occupied by building and bolstering their own house for the forthcoming competitions. Would be ManCity, Chelsea, ManU, Spurs and the rest of the 20 teams in the EPL including Newcastle United. Arsenal will fight for the top spot.
Arsenal will fight for the top spot???? Really?
A sad day for football because another team is taken over by owners who have only money at their disposal. It may not be related, but let me point out here that the said owners of Saudi have a very poor human rights track record, have murder charges against them and a few of them are wanted in the United States for breaking international law at various points. Alas, all this does not matter and what matters is only money. The same is true of Qatari owners who are accused of human rights violations of construction workers working to build the stadiums for the next world cup. Qatar was about to be banned from hosting the next World Cup as many countries complained to FIFA about Qatar’s horrific human rights record, but what can be expected of a governing body that itself is corrupt. Sadly enough, this is how things stand in international football today, where money rules everything, the pure passion, the beauty, the simplicity and the aura for which the sport stands is all lost. Arsenal must yet fight for everything, building block by block and be a example to the world that it is not always money that wins, as Leicester showed with their winning team of the PL.
A powerful read and a depressing one
Money rules and the European breakaway league attempt was another example.
The reality is that Newcastle will eventually become a top4 team (it certainly won’t happen overnight) and that means there is another mega wealthy club opening up the league.
By the time they are super competitive Arsenal could have improved their league position and ManC post Pep could struggle. Top4 should never be a given for any team. Whilst I’m appalled by the new ownership of Newcastle, I am also accepting of the fact that it will make the league more competitive. It will, however, impact on the frailties of the so called smaller teams and create a bigger us and them scenario.
Sad news….my fear is the new moneybags poaching our young stars…astonvilla tried it….imagine if Newcastle bids 90m for SAKA, 70m for ESR…our lovely arsenal would swiftly sell and the cycle goes on with another rebuilding right??
Next summer would be interesting for Leicester,Tottenham,Everton, arsenal and westham stars…..let’s all brace up for the new wave
I get your point about the poaching of players and the potential teams NU would target. Top4 and CL qualification is a way away.
The highest salaries may certainly tempt players but would the very best jump ship in one go to climb aboard the NU luxury liner? They want the CL now, not in 3-5 years time. When ManC did it there were plenty of mercenaries (plenty who were better than what they had, but not the best). Over time they got replaced with the top players, winning and stability
Spot on sue👍, it all depends on the magpies ambition and how it’s sold to the mid-table teams players inorder to build the early decent team of mercenaries as city did…
A Lot of decent mid-table EPL Players like Rice,Ndidi,Cresswell,Adama Traore, Zaha, calvert-lewin, richarlison, Neto, Raphinha, maddison, Son, Moura even our own lacazette,Saka,Pepe,ESR etc
wouldn’t be difficult buys if the cash is right as champions league ain’t a guarantee for now at their current teams.
I just hope EDU and arteta have the grit to resist any advances as willock’s case raises some concern for me…
Our young lads need to stay together and grow to the force we anticipate… hopefully we don’t sell for profit as usual
Cundy is of course correct but its hardly a stunning revelation I would suggest! It would only be NEWSWORTHY if he said the opposite!
There is an ongoing debate right now on Talk Sport about whether or not world class players would accept going to the “frozen and tedious” North East., instead of preferring London, Manchester etc.
There may be an occasional one but to my mind HUGE wages WILL TRUMP ANY regional preferences.
BAD NEWS of course for ethics , morality and for the game in general and for a few clubs like us, Spuds, Everton, Villa too but what can we do against this tsunami of corruption that has engulfed world football and most especially our own PREM?