Only Two Newcastle Players Are Now Safe From Transfer After Saudi Arabian-Backed Takeover

Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin are the only two Newcastle players who can be at “ease” over their respective futures after the club’s takeover.

That is according to Darren Bent, who believes the aforementioned Newcastle duo would “probably be the last” to be sold in a mass clearout.

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) spearheaded the consortium that ended Mike Ashley's controversial 14-year reign at Newcastle.

And the Saudi Arabian-backed takeover has led to growing speculation over which players will be axed and question marks over the fate of manager Steve Bruce.

Newcastle’s new owners have already been linked with a raft of new signings, including Wilfried Zaha, Aaron Ramsey and James Tarkowski.

The expected cash injection from Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s PIF has even led to Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe being linked with Newcastle.

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• Premier League defender set to become one of Newcastle’s new owners’ first signings, Jesse Lingard also discussed

Former Aston Villa and Sunderland striker Bent now believes that Newcastle players, aside from Wilson and Saint-Maximin, should be concerned over their futures.

“The two players who will be at ease are Callum Wilson and Saint-Maximin,” he told talkSPORT.

“They would probably be the last to go but everyone else [should be worried].

“You look at their place in the league table, how could the players in a team that is second from bottom think they’re alright?

“I don’t think there’s a rush with the goalkeepers [Karl] Darlow and [Martin] Dubravka, but the rest of the team won’t be thinking ‘I think I’m alright’ with the team second from bottom.”

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• ‘If Newcastle United don't win a league title in 10 years, it'll be a massive failure’

Amanda Staveley, who helped broker the PIF’s successful Newcastle takeover bid, says the expectations are for the club to challenge for the Premier League title.

Bruce is expected to hold talks with the club’s owners next week, with Rangers boss Steven Gerrard heavily linked with the Magpies.

Trevor Sinclair claims that there is a more “ideal” candidate for Newcastle than Gerrard, but Bent has backed the Liverpool legend to succeed Bruce.

“It’s a strange one because he doesn’t have that much experience but he did a fantastic job at Rangers last year,” he said.

“He’s a Premier League legend and he’s on the up in terms that he’s quite new in his managerial career and has had success already.

“I think Newcastle fans would be happy with that.”

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin, Newcastle United, Darren Bent, Premier League, England, Football

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9