Much has been made of Newcastle United and their tag as the richest club in world football after the Saudi Arabian PIF takeover was given the green light. However, the Magpies are yet to truly flex their financial muscles given the constraints of Financial Fair Play.
The Toon have had to be clever with their investment and it'll likely be a few years until we see the true might of the Magpies, but they're wasting no time in looking for innovative ways to strengthen the club both in the short and long-term. Manchester City have long been touted as the blueprint for Newcastle to follow, but FFP regulations mean an exact repeat would be near impossible.
Nonetheless, PIF and the Magpies' owners have not hidden their desire to replicate City in terms of a multi-club model, but it's Dan Ashworth's former club, Brighton, that boasts an innovative way to compete at the top end of the division. The Gulls' owner Tony Bloom, also owns Belgian side Union SG, where he's guided them back to the Belgian top tier, won the Pro League title in their first season back making history in doing so, then taking them to a Europa League quarter-final this season.
