Newcastle United defeated seven-time European Cup winners AC Milan in the race to sign Sven Botman. Yes, you read that right. One year on from the Hamza Choudhury saga, when Toon chiefs refused to sanction a £1million loan fee to sign the Leicester City midfielder, the Magpies - bolstered by new Saudi-backed ownership - clinched one of the continent’s top prospects.
A long-winded saga stretching back to January will conclude this week, with Botman passing his medical ahead of a £32million move. Supporters will be relieved the saga is over as United wrestled with the Italian giants for six months before finally landing their man. Getting Botman over the line could prove the catalyst to inspire further marquee signings towards Tyneside.
The January window saw Newcastle, for the most part, turn towards established Premier League stars to get the club out of trouble. Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Chris Wood provided a solid core to the squad and were already acclimatised to English football. Bruno Guimaraes was the eye-catching arrival as the Magpies staved off interest from Arsenal to sign the Brazilian.
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However, outgunning the Gunners does not compare to snaring Botman away from the Serie A champions. Newcastle have brushed aside a genuine European heavyweight to sign the 22-year-old - sending a clear message to the rest of world football. For the first time in years, the Toon mean business.
Previously reluctant players may now consider Newcastle as a genuine option; a place to realise their ambitions and become part of a long-term project. In 2008, Manchester City made a bold statement on day one of Sheikh Mansour’s reign to sign Robinho from Real Madrid - obliterating the British transfer record in the process.
PSG, the other club backed by a Gulf state’s billions, did not make a seismic ripple in the transfer market until one year after their takeover. However, once Thiago Silva joined, Zlatan Ibrahimovic soon followed.
Governed by Financial Fair Play regulations, Newcastle are unlikely to pursue the Harlem Globetrotters of football as the new regime adopts a “steady build” policy. But attracting their top targets becomes a lot easier now Botman - a Ligue 1 title winner - has chosen Tyneside as his next destination.
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