I spoke to Yasir Al-Rumayyan and he's 'smart enough' to know Newcastle truth
Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan knows the club have moved very quickly
Yasir Al-Rumayyan is 'smart enough' to realise that Newcastle United need to be strategic and patient to realise his dream of becoming number one.
That is according to Paul Mitchell, Newcastle's sporting director, ahead of the third anniversary of the takeover next month. The PIF bought a majority stake in a club in deep relegation trouble, in 2021, but Newcastle went on to pull clear of danger and Eddie Howe's team qualified for the Champions League the following season.
The past few months have been a little more turbulent. Injury-ravaged Newcastle just missed out on Europe; the Magpies narrowly avoided a PSR breach and points deduction; there were huge changes in the boardroom after former owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi departed; and the black-and-whites ultimately failed to sign a difference maker in the transfer window after Crystal Palace's demands for top target Marc Guehi went beyond the club's limits.
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Howe has spoken about how the landscape is 'different' compared to when the PIF came in and the Newcastle boss said PSR rules have 'impacted the ability to progress the club as quickly as maybe they wanted'. However, Howe has stressed that the 'dream is not over' and Mitchell, fresh from holding talks about the club's plan and vision with Al-Rumayyan at St James' Park at the weekend, added that the club's chairman is 'as ambitious as ever'.
"He's a very smart man," he told reporters. "I think he can see that the club is growing, but he's smart enough to know it's moved very quickly over a very short period of time.
"He knows infrastructure is important. He knows people IP is important. He knows a higher overarching framework and strategy is crucial to get to where we want to get to.
"Using terminology like that shows there's a plan and patience. You have got to then deliver and execute across that plan and timescale, but he's a very intelligent owner with what I received on Sunday when we spoke."
