Yasir Al-Rumayyan has given a revealing club interview following his first full season working as Newcastle United's chairman. The new owners have already overseen a drastic turnaround in fortunes on Tyneside, with Eddie Howe's side set to compete in the Champions League next season having already reached a domestic cup final.
Newcastle look set to invest again this summer, with AC Milan midfielder Sando Tonali due to become the first 'elite' addition of the latest window. Away from the senior squad, the deal for Yankuba Minteh proves the academy remains a focus while the women's team have turned professional after securing promotion last term.
Al-Rumayyan covered a range of topics in his review of the 2022/2023 campaign, as well as offering a glimpse of the ownership's ambition. Here are five key points for Newcastle fans to take from the chairman's post-season interview with club media.
Expectation
For too long, the e-word was a loaded term around Tyneside as Steve Bruce found out with an ill-advised talkSPORT interview. Ahead of the latest season though, nobody realistically predicted that Howe's side would break into the top-four, months after pulling clear of relegation danger.
READ MORE: Newcastle United chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan reveals aims and desire for Magpies to be 'number one' club
However, Al-Rumayyan insists he was not left surprised by the team's achievements which also included their Carabao Cup run. He said: "Did we expect to do that? Yes. I mean, we have the ingredients for success."
Al-Rumayyan pointed towards Howe's coaching staff and the squad, as well as the fanbase and the benefits of a one-club city, as to why he believed it was already possible. There was no sense of arrogance or demeaning the team's achievements in his words, rather a reminder of the owners' lofty ambitions to lead the Magpies to success.
Champions League
Al-Rumayyan admits Newcastle's return to Europe's premier competition after a two-decade absence was always a 'priority', even if it has come sooner than many expected. Howe's squad must now handle the challenge of competing on four fronts, with quality and quantity both on the transfer agenda.
While always being a target, Al-Rumayyan could not hide his praise for the 'big turnaround' achieved less than two years into the new era at St James' Park. The chairman namechecked both Howe and chief executive officer Darren Eales for their contributions towards the 'magic' of last season.
Newcastle will be seeded fourth for the upcoming draw, meaning a harsh draw would put the odds against the team navigating their way beyond the group stages. However, this newfound 'priority' shows the belief that it will not prove to be a one-off campaign.
FFP
Newcastle fans are probably more than sick of hearing about the constraints of Financial Fair Play, and how it is preventing the club from matching the transfer spending of the so-called 'Big Six. Sporting director Dan Ashworth and Howe have both urged caution on the matter previously, and they have now been joined by Al-Rumayyan.
He said: "We finish in the top four, our revenue is increasing. Remember, you have to work within Financial Fair Play framework so the more revenue we will have, the more players we will have ready. I mean all 11 positions and the whole squad of 25.
"The Champions League will add more revenue for us, sponsorship is improving and that's more funds and revenue for us. If you put all these together, we should have the ambition and aspiration to be number one."
The agreement with Sela announced earlier this month will likely be the latest in a long line of commercial agreements as United look to close the gap on the division's elite. Newcastle's top-four finish and the revenue their run generates will almost certainly have been factored into the summer budget.
First SJP visit
Al-Rumayyan, along with co-owners Mehrdad Ghodoussi, Jamie Reuben and Amanda Staveley, were granted a rapturous welcome to their first visit to St James' Park following the takeover in October 2021. Callum Wilson fired Newcastle in front after just two minutes, only for the occasion to end in defeat as Tottenham came from behind to seal a 3-2 win.
Still, the loss evidently did not sour the occasion for the new chairman. He said: "I remember the first time I walked into St James' Park, it was a magical and electric moment for me.
"It's not the first time for me to step into a football stadium, I have been to many World Cups and other sports, the Superbowl and what have you. What I felt, and I'm not saying because I'm the chairman, when I walked in was just magical."
Wor Flags
Al-Rumayyan praised the fanbase on several occasions before finishing the seven-minute interview by thanking supporters for their efforts so far. Wor Flags earned a special mention too, having organised several memorable St James' Park displays which even led to the Magpies chairman himself getting involved.
Al-Rumayyan added: "You feel like you're part of a bigger thing, and this bigger thing has to be a better thing than you are. We need to belong to something bigger than us, and can add a lot of emotional value and happiness to our lives. That's part of the magic of the football.
