Amanda Staveley to leave Newcastle after three years

Newcastle United co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi are set to leave the club just three years after the Saudi Arabia-backed takeover.

The husband-and-wife pairing took a 10 per cent share in the club after helping to broker the £305m takeover in 2021, though this has since decreased to just six per cent after more investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Reuben family. The PIF currently owns 80 per cent of the club, with the Reuben family now owning 14 per cent.

Reports suggest that Staveley and Ghodoussi will sell their remaining stake to either the PIF or the Reubens, and the duo will leave the club, ceasing their day-to-day involvement.

Staveley played a key role in orchestrating the 2021 takeover, and the pair were both pivotal in the day-to-day running of the club in the early days after it was completed. They played a part in hiring Eddie Howe as manager, as well as progressing the negotiations around the signing of players such as Bruno Guimaraes. Newcastle have spent around £400m on transfers since the takeover.

The pair will leave behind a legacy of ending Mike Ashley’s ownership, with Staveley acting as the public figurehead for the Saudis since the sale. In her first full season in charge, Newcastle finished fourth in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2003.

The Magpies finished seventh in the Premier League last season, narrowly missing out on European football due to Manchester United’s victory in the FA Cup final.