Newcastle’s £305m takeover slammed by rivals who snub Toon from attending Premier League meeting

Newcastle United were not included in an extraordinary meeting between their 19 top-flight rivals as the Premier League explained the decision to approve the club’s £305million Saudi-led takeover.

There has long been strong opposition to the deal by the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

One top-flight executive has told Sportsmail it all comes back to the ‘green-eyed monster’ and ‘self-interest’, with Newcastle’s owners promising significant investment in their pursuit of silverware.

Newcastle were not included in an extraordinary meeting between rivals on their takeover

However, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and chairman Gary Hoffman have now addressed their member clubs on the matter.

Insiders have said that United, Spurs and Everton were the most vocal on the call, with a belief among others that their anger centred around the prospect of increased competition for Champions League places.

Not all vented fury – there was even humour among some of the smaller clubs – with the Big Six’s aborted Super League breakaway still fresh in memories.

Indeed, in some quarters there were raised eyebrows that Newcastle had not been invited onto the call, although the point was made that an open conversation would have been difficult had they been present.

‘This is mainly an issue for the bigger clubs, although there are concerns over the immediate impact on the relegation battle,’ an executive from one side explained.

‘They are nervous that precious Champions League places have suddenly got harder to come by. A lot of the smaller clubs are pretty relaxed about it.’

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters addressed member clubs on the matter 

A perceived lack of communication from the Premier League has caused anger, while some clubs claimed they had to shoot down suggestions from their own fanbases that they had a part in the decision-making process, which was carried out by the Premier League board.

During the call, the Premier League reiterated their stance of having no option but to approve the deal once they had legal assurances of separation between the Saudi state and the Public Investment Fund, who now own 80 per cent of Newcastle.

The Premier League have the ability to intervene should they suspect the direct involvement of the Saudi government, headed by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin-Salman.

It is understood there is also concern among some clubs of Newcastle now lining up a lucrative shirt sponsor to immediately boost their revenues, and therefore widen the scope for spending under FFP regulations.

Head coach Steve Bruce remains in post for now having met with Amanda Staveley

Meanwhile, head coach Steve Bruce remains in post having met with Amanda Staveley at the training ground on Monday.

However, it was always understood that it would take until at least the middle of the week before removing Bruce ahead of Sunday’s visit of Spurs.

The focus of the new owners remains on the managerial situation, with appointments such as sporting director and chief executive to follow in due course.

Sources have played down the likelihood of Frank Lampard being the man to take charge, although they have also stressed that many options are on the table given the number of voices involved in the process.