Newcastle United can get under your skin, whether you are born into the club or become a fan later in life. Just ask Rob Lee, Shay Given, Warren Barton and others who are now ardent supporters after their spells on Tyneside.
And just ask former co-owner Amanda Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi. The duo were responsible for fronting the Saudi-led takeover that bought Mike Ashley out in 2021.
Staveley and Ghodoussi left the club last summer after their shares were acquired by the rest of the ownership group, but they remain deeply connected to the Magpies. The pair were at Wembley to watch the historic Carabao Cup triumph alongside family, and admit there were tears shed.
Speaking to ITV for their documentary All With Smiling Faces, Staveley admitted she feels part of a ‘special Newcastle family’. Dubbed Wor Mandy by United fans, the financier was delighted to see the Geordie celebrations after 70 years of Wembley hurt was brought to an end.
“I’ve said it before, they will win the league, they will win all of those,” Staveley enthused. “I’ve got at least one box ticked.
“They deserve it more than anybody. And thank you from us for making us feel part of that very special Newcastle family. We saw it on everybody’s faces and everybody’s tears, all the hugs and kisses. I felt very privileged to be Wor Mandy that day.”
Ghodoussi added: “It was so amazing when that final whistle went. We were there as fans, our son was there, he was crying tears of joy.”
It is an illustration of the love they both still have for Newcastle, regardless of their next steps. Those could include an investment in one of United’s Premier League rivals, with talks having taken place with Tottenham Hotspur over potential involvement.
The power couple continue to be linked with Spurs, having attended Tottenham matches and NFL games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Staveley has revealed that she would be open to investing in another Premier League club after leaving Newcastle. Speaking at Bloomberg’s Women, Money & Power event back in December, she said: “It’s so hard to move on from a club that’s amazing.
“We could never move on from Newcastle, and we never will. But yes, we’re looking at a number of investment operations.
“We can’t say too much at the moment because of rules around it. But we will be able to talk about it, hopefully in the not too distant future.”
Since then, news on the Tottenham takeover and Staveley’s involvement has gone quiet. It is believed that talks and negotiations are still ongoing involving chairman Daniel Levy and interested parties behind the scenes, though public utterances are in short supply.
The Guardian has reported that a group of Qatari investors are seeking to buy the club in a deal that could take the form of a ‘phased buyout’. The identity of the investors is unknown, but they are not government-backed Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) or Sheikh Jassim, the latter of whom made an attempt to buy Manchester United before the takeover by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. They are instead private individuals.
Staveley, meanwhile, is understood to be holding talks with a Middle Eastern group about making an offer.
