Amanda Staveley: the unusual case of Newcastle United’s would-be-owner | David Conn

The businesswoman is said to have £28bn under management but her UK company has no assets or employees

For supporters of Newcastle United, the great, underperforming north-east football institution, the indignities of ownership under Mike Ashley have ground up the gears again. Ashley, boss of cut-price retailer Sports Direct, broke months of silence following his decision in October to advertise the club for sale, by this week authorising a statement denying there is any “deal on the table” from the businesswoman Amanda Staveley, or any current discussions with her.

Staveley, who has adopted a very public interest in buying the club, maintains that she has an offer “on the table”, of £250m, £100m short of the minimum Ashley wants. It is not clear why Ashley would be expected to accept less even than the £263m he has spent on Newcastle, which he has made financially stable, in a vastly more lucrative Premier League than when he took over in 2007.

Continue reading...