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New report gives name of rival bidder to Peter Kenyon trying to buy Newcastle United from Mike Ashley

5 years ago
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Newcastle United fans are waking to news of a new name revealed as one of those reported to be trying to buy the club from Mike Ashley.

Up until now, none of the newspapers have come up with any names, apart from Peter Kenyon.

His interest in putting together a bid to buy Newcastle United was first claimed back in September.

That story had rumbled on and then two weeks really sparked into life, when Mike Ashley made his appearance on Sky News. The NUFC owner saying there was supposed interest from a number of parties in buying the club but that one of those bidders was further along the process than anybody had been previously in the eleven and a half years he’d owned Newcastle United.

Whilst fans were unsurprisingly sceptical that Ashley was finally genuinely trying to sell Newcastle, the newspapers all named Peter Kenyon’s consortium as this bidder who was furthest along the line.

Both the media and Ashley’s people have constantly pushed the idea that there are a number of other serious bidders as well as Kenyon’s, without though giving any names.

Now though, Garry Cook has been named.

Cook was appointed Chief Executive of Manchester City by Thaksin Shinawatra back in 2008, then stayed in the post when Sheikh Mansour bought the club.

After having spent 12 years with Nike, Garry Cook then ran Man City for over three years before leaving under a cloud, he resigned in 2011 after claims emerged that he;d sent inappropriate emails to one of the City players’ mother.

He later took up a post with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).

Most recently, in February of this year, Garry Cook was credited with playing a pivotal role in the sale of Wigan Athletic, the club being taken over by Hong Kong based owners.

Now The Sun say that just like Peter Kenyon, Garry Cook is leading the bid by one of the so far unnamed rival groups trying to buy NUFC.

They report that the former Manchester City CEO has put a team together that is working to try and buy the club.

No identity revealed of the ones supposedly putting up the cash for Cook’s bid, apart from they are believed to be based in the United States.

With is long career working for Nike, The Sun say that he already knows Mike Ashley well due to his connections with the sportswear industry.

As always, we will believe it when we see it, but at least another name put forward rather than repeatedly talking of anonymous (supposed) bidders.

Just like Peter Kenyon, if Garry Cook was involved in any potentially successful bid, then there is the angle that he could be a possible candidate to run the club if it was sold, on behalf of new owners.

Lee Charnley is currently the only director at Newcastle United and the only publicly named senior executive at the club, receiving £150,000 a year in return. With the shadowy figure of Ashley’s confidante Justin Barnes widely reported to be the one in charge at NUFC in reality.

When Garry Cook took on the Man City job in 2008 he was paid £1.5m per year and now any number of Premier League CEOs get paid £1m or more per season.

As we all know, it isn’t just a new owner that Newcastle United needs, but people of the correct ability and experience right through the club, Rafa Benitez can’t do it on his own.

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