Following the resumption of the Premier League, everything looked rosy on Tyneside.Newcastle were set to bet taken over by the wealthy Saudi Arabian Prince Investment Fund and they'd beaten Sheffield United 3-0.However, fast-forward to a couple of weeks later and they've suffered back to back defeats. On top of that, the takeover hasn't even gone through yet.Newcastle's 5-0 loss against Manchester City was not ideal but losing to Watford was rather embarrassing. Two teams with differing aspirations and in vastly different situations, the Hornets undid the Magpies. Steve Bruce, as a result, came in for some criticism.He may have been nominated for June's Manager of the Month award but it wouldn't be a great surprise if PIF were to sack him upon arriving. After all, he isn't the most eye-catching or glamorous of managers.
The takeover has now been rumbling on for three months and we're still yet to discover whether a resolution will be found.However, some extra details were revealed by the Telegraph's Luke Edwards on Friday evening.He took to Twitter to claim that Newcastle are already in negotiations to sign two players despite the takeover. He also suggested plans were being made because the club couldn't afford to wait any longer for word from the top-flight.Edwards tweeted in full:
In this situation, you can't blame Newcastle whatsoever for just cracking on with things.
GIVEMESPORT'S Matt Dawson says...
This is all the evidence you need that Newcastle's takeover saga has crossed the line of being unhealthy.
The Magpies are having to draw out plans as normal but if PIF had already bought the club from Mike Ashley, their own targets and aims will have already been drawn out.
The worst eventuality would be that the window opens and the Magpies are still not under new ownership.
Newcastle could very much add new players to their squad that the Saudi's don't actually want. That would not be good for any parties.
It's also important to consider whether Bruce will still be at the helm. Managers all have differing opinions on players and it has to be argued as to whether a new coaching staff would be aligned with the players Newcastle are currently negotiating with.
All of this has the possibility to lead to the worst possible start to PIF's reign.
However, plans have to be made. What if they fail to pass the owners' and directors' test without having anything to fall back on? They'd be severely left behind in the transfer market.