Newcastle 'could be left behind' after new stadium blow - Keith Wyness

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has claimed Newcastle United face being “left behind” without a solution to their stadium problem.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – suggested he would like to see PIF and the Saudis green-light the contstruction of a new stadium which could be a “showpiece for the north-east”.

St James’ Park currently holds 52,000 but is no longer considered fit for purpose in terms of capacity or facilities.

iNews have reported (6 November) that Newcastle are now in the “advanced stages” of their stadium feasibility study, potentially paving the way for “concrete progress” in 2025.

It is claimed one option under consideration is the construction of a new 10,000-seat expansion to the Gallowgate End.

But in a new blow, the Magpies must first hold talks with the operators of the Tyne and Wear Metro over concerns about the station which lies beneath the proposed stand.

Building a new state-of-the-art stadium on a different site is still under consideration from the club’s Saudi Arabian ownership.

Newcastle handed new stadium warning with ‘costs doing nothing but increasing’

Wyness told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “Is it worth building a new stadium? That will be the debate going on at St James’ Park right now.

“A new stadium will involve a major mixed-use development. Both options are very costly.

“A new 10,000-seat stand will go to £700-800million, that’s as much as Everton’s new stadium cost.

“The costs are doing nothing but increasing.

“These are big decisions, but clubs run the risk of being left behind if they don’t have these developments going on.

“It’s becoming a very complex decision matrix. It could come down to PIF building a new stadium which could be a showpiece for the north east and boost the economy for many years to come.”

In other news, significant update on Newcastle’s Gabriel Jesus interest.

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