Premier League have already responded to Amanda Staveley's leaked Newcastle United takeover messages

Leaked messages from 2020 show Amanda Staveley speaking to associates of then Newcastle owner Mike Ashley via WhatsApp. The £300million takeover was approved by the Premier League in October 2021 after legally binding assurances were put in place to show that new 80% stakeholders, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, were separate from the Saudi state controlling the club.

Staveley’s leaked messages, published by The Telegraph, mention Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“The Crown Prince is losing patience – I need to assure him we will get there,” one message read.

Another added: “[Yasir Al-Rumayyan] is trying to hang on to the deal and convince the Crown Prince not to pull out.”

While this has raised new noise around the legalities of PIF’s takeover of Newcastle and the nature of Bin Salman’s involvement, the Premier League will not revisit the process three years on.

According to Mail Online, the Premier League Board were aware of Saudi government-level interactions regarding the Newcastle takeover but it did not influence the process of their Owners’ and Directors’ Test which led to the takeover being approved.

Staveley acquired a 10% stake in Newcastle following the takeover which was later diluted before she left the club in July. Staveley’s lawyers responded to The Telegraph’s leaked messages by explaining that Bin Salman was only referenced in his capacity as PIF chairman and any suggestion that the Saudi state have involvement in running the club is ‘as illogical as it is misconceived’.

Further messages also show Staveley being asked by Ashley’s associate to ‘push’ a Shields Gazette article about Newcastle Consortium Supporters Limited issuing a ‘Letter Before Action’ to the Premier League claiming that the delay in the takeover process was against UK anti-competition law.

Staveley responded: “Will do. Pushing it now. Ant and Dec will push it too.”

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Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly’s Twitter account (now X) shared the article shortly after as well as another Shields Gazette article answering questions about the progress of the takeover.

Less than a year after that, the takeover was finally approved by the Premier League.