"I expect" - Keith Downie shares exciting “significant” PIF summer claim at Newcastle United

Newcastle United’s new owners will ‘want to make significant strides’ next season, according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

The Magpies became the richest football club in the world following their Saudi-backed takeover last year and have already showcased their ambition in the January transfer window.

During the winter, the Saudi Public Investment Fund backed new manager Eddie Howe with significant sums, bringing in five new acquisitions for around £90 million.

And the arrivals of Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, Matt Targett, Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood at the halfway stage of the campaign have transformed Newcastle’s fortunes.

Since the turn of the year, the St. James’ Park outfit have picked up 20 points from a possible 30 after losing just two of their 10 Premier League encounters.

That is a stark contrast to their form in the opening half of the campaign when they collected just 11 points from their opening 19 top-flight fixtures.

As a result, Howe’s charges are now well clear of the relegation zone and talk has already turned to who they could bring in to strengthen even further in the summer.

According to The Telegraph, Newcastle have ruled out bringing in big-money superstar signings when the market reopens as they prepare to work within the Financial Fair Play restrictions.

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The report claims that their transfer budget is likely to be less than the £90m they spent in the winter, but Downie still expects them to ‘spend big’.

He told GiveMeSport: “If the team does really well towards the end of the season, there’s not the need to go mad, but they will want to make significant strides in that first