Bukayo Saka is a little Magpie at heart, and Newcastle United can only say no if they make Arsenal a huge offer this summer.
Allow me to take you back to October 7, 2021. While Newcastle United fans drank Brown Ale and partied late into the night after being freed by Mike Ashley, the media speculated.
Bookmakers were betting on Kylian Mbappe leaving Notre Dame for the Bigg Market. Two years later, those forecasts appear more incorrect than a British weather report.
Since the Saudi-backed takeover, the Magpies have been cautious in their transfer strategy. Many people think the FFP/PSR card was a clever ploy to keep costs low while lowering expectations on Tyneside.
Newcastle, like the child who cried wolf, were limited by budgetary restraints in January. They weren’t the only ones; Premier League clubs spent £700 million less in the winter window than they did the year before.
A new accounting year begins in July, and Toon officials are heartened by Champions League revenue that is firmly on their balance sheet. Increased sponsorship revenue, such as the recent Sela shirt contract, also begins this summer. That might equip Newcastle with the financial resources to make a game-changing signing. Toon fans have hoped for a Robinho-like moment when a pioneer walks through the door and inspires others to follow suit.
Alternatively, as in the cases of Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak, making them stay. How long will it be before Guimaraes gets tired of grabbing possession, looking up, and seeing Miguel Almiron in front of him? Who would that be? What player would inspire Alan Shearer-style celebrations outside of St James’ Park? Do not laugh, hear this out.
Bukayo Saka
The England player, who has been praised by Arsenal fans, is perhaps the best wideman in Europe right now. Saka competes at the top levels of English and European football, with Mikel Arteta’s team aiming for a historic double. So why would he leave to join Newcastle, who is now ranked tenth in the Premier League? Because, like so many others from far away, the 22-year-old is a “little Magpie” at heart.
“I was standing on the pitch at Old Trafford,” Saka explained in 2020. “I’d been here ten years ago with my father, sitting in the away end with the Newcastle fans. My father supported Newcastle because he admired Alan Shearer.
“I hadn’t been to many stadiums before, so going to a game at the age of eight was a major deal for me. But here I was, a player. It hit me hard as I was down on the pitch, staring up at the spectators in the stands. I realized what was about to happen.
When Saka revealed his secret black-and-white love affair, Newcastle was on the verge of relegation. Even if Arsenal was not where they are today, the Magpies had little chance of signing him.
However, with an ambitious project, a re-energized city, and the opportunity to be the face of the Geordie reconstruction – not to mention living his father’s dream – Saka would be the ideal summer signing to catapult Newcastle into the top division. To be brutally honest, if Toon chiefs lead the club to the promised land, where will Arsenal be?
Saka has one FA Cup win to his name from a season in which he played sparingly. Yes, he earned a medal, but was that all? For the past 20 years, Arsenal has been one of the top six also-rans.
Despite their recent troubles, Chelsea may have surpassed the Gunners as London’s largest club. Joining Newcastle would immediately set Saka on a life-changing journey.
Manchester City had the last big takeover in English football. When Sheikh Mansour moved in, he harassed Arsenal by signing Emmanuel Adebayor, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri, and even Patrick Vieira from Inter Milan to rub it in; why can’t Newcastle do the same?
Now you are no longer hysterical and are fully on board with the Saka to Newcastle idea. Signing him could be the panacea to all of the Magpies’ problems, showing they mean business at the top table and, most importantly, triggering a domino effect of success.
