Steve Bruce has described new Newcastle United left-back Danny Rose as a ‘class act’ after signing the Tottenham Hotspur defender on loan until the end of the season. The 29-year-old full back is Steve Bruce’s third signing of the January transfer window, following the arrivals of Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro.
Danny Rose said “It’s a great honour for me to be here. I’m so grateful that the manager has brought me in and I’m looking to repay him in every way I can as soon as I’m playing. For me, it’s really exciting that I can come here and have the chance to play in front of the Newcastle fans. Newcastle is one of the biggest clubs in England. I spoke to the manager last night and he told me there were 50,000 fans here at the weekend against Oxford. You can’t go wrong with that kind of passion and support from the fans, and it’s something I’m looking forward to.”
The Premier League club, 14th in the table ahead of Saturday’s home game against Norwich City, has also been looking at strikers, notably Hull City’s Jarrod Bowen and Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud. The injury-hit club believes the squad has been strengthened by the arrivals of winger Lazaro and midfielder Bentaleb – and will be galvanised further by the signing of Rose from Tottenham Hotspur.
Mike Ashley, owner of Newcastle United is ‘furious’ and ‘demanding answers’ after details of Saudi takeover bid were leaked. The 55-year-old was back in the country on Monday, two days after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund was the main player in a consortium which has been in talks with Ashley’s representatives for around four months.
Saudi Arabia has become an increasing presence in international sport in recent months, staging Antony Joshua’s world heavyweight title fight against Andy Ruiz Junior and Spanish football’s Super Cup, and news of interest in Newcastle from the Arab state was met by a strong response from Amnesty International.
Mike Ashley’s controversial near-13-year reign at St James’ Park has pitched him into an ongoing battle with sections of the club’s fanbase, the most vociferous of whom have repeatedly urged him to sell up. That is a message which has been reiterated by the Toon For Change campaign group, which has questioned his willingness to go given the failure of the Bin Zayed Group and Peter Kenyon-led consortia – among others – to strike a deal in the wake of te weekend’s revelations.
