Former Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce believes it will be ‘difficult’ for the Premier League to allow the £300m Saudi takeover of his old club due to TV piracy. Recently both Alan Shearer and Steve Bruce both called for a conclusion to the long-running saga as Newcastle have been left in limbo. But the former Blackburn and West Ham manager, Allardyce believes the Premier League will find it difficult to approve the takeover due to a number of reasons.

Sam Allardyce said “It’s very sensitive, I’m a regular out on beIN sports and this year I went out just before lockdown in February. When I got there I said to [presenters] Richard Keys and Andy Gray, ‘where is everybody?’ and the answer was that 350 people had been sacked because of the hacking problem. They’ve hacked the system and sold it on at a cheaper price and that’s caused major problems and major revenue problems for beIN Sports to the point where they’ve just axed 350 people from nowhere. So, on that basis alone the Premier League will find it very difficult. There are other issues – humane issues of course – and I would find it difficult for them to allow the Saudis to take over which would be a huge disappointment for the Newcastle fans. But in the bigger picture you have to say, is it right?”