Newcastle United head coach Steve Bruce has broken his silence on the £300 million takeover bid by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The bid is currently with the Premier League as the Directors and Owners test is being carried out, but it is expected to be successful despite the delays, and an official announcement has been tipped to be made this week.
As a Geordie and fan of the club, Bruce will be delighted to see the takeover go through, but his job is at stake as PIF are expected to bring in a new manager ahead of next season.
The former Aston Villa boss is confident that he can take Newcastle to the next level with enough backing in the transfer window, though, and has made his desires to remain in charge post-takeover known.
“If it’s good for Newcastle, and the club are going to try to compete, to be part of it would be great. I would love to see it and I’d love to be part of it. I hope it’s where it goes, but in the meantime, I’ll just crack on, wait, roll my sleeves up and get on with trying to get some results to try and get the club going forward,” Bruce told Sky Sports.
Stevie Bruce knows 🥳⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/fGedb9Ba0z
— Stevie Goicoechea (@stevengoica83) May 21, 2020
“If that happens for Newcastle in the future, then great – I’d be delighted. You do get labelled in the game, and that’s why I enjoyed my time managing in the Championship. I’d back myself against most people in that division. But to be in a position where you’re actually challenging, and you have a good enough team as Newcastle did in 1995 and under Sir Bobby Robson as well, then it would be wonderful. I’d back myself, of course, I would.
“I have a wonderful working relationship with Lee Charnley and he told me ‘when there’s something to tell you, Steve, I’ll tell you’. We’ve left it at that and gone back to work. I’m in the dark like most other people, and for that, I’m glad, really, because I can’t comment on it. It’s not worth talking about it as I really don’t know.”
Newcastle fans reckon the comments from Bruce means the takeover is edging closer than ever, and some of them have taken to Twitter to react thus:
That’s conformation right there #cans
— David (@David8elly) May 21, 2020
Is that brucey confirming the takeover is on 🤔 🍻🍻
— Gav Holleran (@gav_nufc) May 21, 2020
@Phil_Holliday89 this is basically confirmation this like!
— Mark Hutchinson (@markhutchayee) May 21, 2020
This is prob the closest we have had to someone from the club saying something is happening
— heslop (@heslopch) May 21, 2020
He was on Sky Sports practically begging to keep his job 😂 he knows something’s happening going off that interview
— Roman (@AndrewK67647299) May 21, 2020
HE KNOWS !
— Liam Fenny (@Fenstar99) May 21, 2020
His interview on Sky today is different / he knows and is touting for a chance to be kept on
— Chris (@BoringGeordie) May 21, 2020
Good chance we could all be drinking some cans today 😀
— Carl Penaluna (@CarlPenaluna) May 21, 2020
#cans, please let it be!!!!!!!!!
— Adam Wilson (@awil84) May 21, 2020
Bruce took charge of Newcastle last summer following the departure of fans favourite Rafa Benitez, and while he isn’t particularly popular with the fans, he has surpassed the expectations of many doubters, leading the side to nine wins and eight draws in 29 league games.
Despite his wishes to remain in the Saint James’ Park dugout beyond this season, it doesn’t seem that is on the cards, with the prospective new owners sounding out former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino as a replacement.
