?Former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee has suggested that the much-maligned Magpies owner Mike Ashley has no intention of selling the Premier League team and instead wishes to cling on to his ownership in an attempt to displease fans of the club.
Ashley has been in control at St James’ Park since 2007 and has been the subject of severe criticism during his tenure. Despite announcing that he was looking to sell the club since they regained promotion to the Premier League in 2017, the high street tycoon remains in charge.
Fan favourite Lee does not buy Ashley’s claims and questions the intentions of the Staffordshire-born owner. Speaking on ?talkSPORT, Lee said:
Referring to his former club’s transfer activity under the stewardship of Ashley, he added:
To put things into perspective, this purchase broke their previous transfer record of £16.8m for Michael Owen in 2005 – two years before Ashley took the reigns.
Despite the stagnation of takeover talks, Newcastle’s form has improved since Almiron’s arrival at the start of this year. Eleven points from their last six games have dragged the Magpies out of a relegation battle and another season of Premier League football looks all but secure.
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