Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan admits his aim is to help the Magpies become as valuable as Premier League heavyweights such as Chelsea after snubbing other clubs in favour of purchasing the north east outfit. The Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) gave an in-depth interview in his native Saudi Arabia on Monday, where he outlined the reasoning behind the Newcastle takeover almost one year ago to the day.
It is no secret Saudi's sovereign wealth fund could have purchased almost any football club in the world, with Al-Rumayyan admitting different offers arose before Mike Ashley's project landed in his lap. However, with bigger outfits demanding huge amounts of capital for a minority stake and limited control, the Toon chairman admits buying 80 per cent of Newcastle made more financial sense to the Investment Fund.
Speaking to Radio Eight, Al-Rumayyan said: "Why did we choose the English Premier League? Because it is the greatest league that exists in the world. No other league competes with it. Any team from the 20 can beat the strongest team.
