Mike Ashley has broken his silence after the sale of Newcastle to a Saudi-led group was completed on Thursday.
The Sports Direct kingpin sold the Premier League club to the Saudi Public Investment Fund in a £305million deal.
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Ashley was hated by the club’s fanbase and had been desperate to get him out of the club.
They bemoaned the decisions he made and the lack of investment in the club and playing squad.
Supporters are now hopeful that under the new owners, who have a reported wealth of £320billion, things will be different.
After his 14-year tenure at Newcastle came to an end, Ashley told The Sun: “Owning a football club gets into your blood and l would love nothing more than to see Newcastle winning trophies.
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“I accept that during my time at Newcastle we have not achieved the club’s full potential on the field.
“But I do believe that away from the pitch we got many things right.
“I am proud to leave the club on a solid financial footing with no debts, which is obviously a good foundation for the club going forward.”
He added: “I’m pleased that a consortium backed by PIF is the new owner of Newcastle United. I am sure this will deliver the success that fans deserve.
“I’ve always said that I would only sell to a new owner if they can invest the necessary funds to enable Newcastle United to compete at the very highest level.
“I believe this change of ownership is true to that principle.”
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Amanda Staveley, who led the Saudi-backed consortium, vowed to transform Newcastle into a club challenging for trophies and Champions League football following the takeover.
She said: “Yes, we have deep pockets, but we have to also be commercially sensible in terms of there are rules around investment in the Premier League. We have to keep within those, and we’re fully aware of that.
“But we’re going to invest at every level, and I think that Mike knew we would be good caretakers going forward.”
Staveley also revealed she had spoken to head coach Steve Bruce, but insisted no decision on his future had yet been taken.
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