Jamie Reuben's 'surprise' at Newcastle United as PIF long-term plans made clear

Reuben, 35, is part of the consortium that purchased Newcastle 12 months ago when the club were languishing in the relegation zone.

He represents the RB Sports & Media part of the consortium who are 10-per-cent owners of the club alongside Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi’s PCP Capital Partners. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund owns the remaining 80-per-cent of the club.

Since the takeover, Newcastle moved out of relegation danger last season and now sit sixth in the Premier League table after nine matches this time around.

The appointment of Eddie Howe and head coach and plenty of investment in the playing squad certainly helped.

Reuben is satisfied with the progress made so far and hopes the club can continue to improve in the coming years.

“The immediate priority was to restore pride in the club and I think we achieved that,” he said. “I think going forward with PIF, the consortium wants us to compete at the highest levels of football and really be competitive in every competition. It's a long-term strategy but I'm hopeful we'll get there.”

RB Sports and Media is part of the Reuben Brothers company which has invested heavily in property in Newcastle over the years.

But the Magpies co-owner admits visiting St James’s Park on a matchday is something that always leaves him surprised.

“We've been quite long-term investors in Newcastle, it's a city I know well, a city I really love,” Reuben told NUFC TV. “But I have to say that the atmosphere five minutes to kick-off every time does surprise me and it's wonderful to see.”

Sell-out crowds and Wor Flags displays have helped transform the atmosphere at St James’s Park over the past year.

The initial aim following the takeover was to keep Newcastle in the Premier League and build a platform for progress in 2022-23.

But the impressive turnaround made by Howe and his players in 2022 has effectively accelerated expectations by a season with progress being better than originally expected.

And there is an expectation for that progress to continue over the next 12 months and beyond.

While Newcastle are looking to improve on their 11th placed finish last season, Reuben believes progress shouldn't be defined purely in terms of a league position.

“Rather than specific league position, I'd like us to be progressing on every level of the club,” the United board member added. “Performances, yes, style of play, from women's football to the academy, that for me is a more important hallmark of success rather than a specific league position this season.

“We're tremendously excited about the potential of Newcastle. It was a sleeping giant and we all realise that with the right strategy and the right vision, this club can go far.

"We have to take a pragmatic approach, which we are doing but definitely we're on the right trajectory and exciting times ahead.”