The Athletic. Hello I'm Mark Chapman welcome to the Athletic Football Podcast.

We're joined today by David Ornstein and Adam Crafton.

Coming up after a shambolic defeat at the start of a difficult run of games, we'll discuss

Oligonna Solvial's future.

We'll also talk about Newcastle United with the athletic learning that there is considerable pressure from

Premier League clubs around the takeover and other issues and also in the

podcast our Chelsea writer Simon Johnson will join us. We'll talk Eduard

Mendi and Romulae Lekaku. David will also tell us about his trip to

Milan to speak to Olivier's room.

So let's start then with your column today, David. Premier League clubs not happy with the Saudi takeover of Newcastle

the United. What in particular don't they like about it?

Yeah, well Mark, not happy is an understatement.

Most of them are seething about it,

and the reasons vary from moral, according to some of them,

but make of that what you will,

and financial, sporting, I think there's a fear among those

towards the top end of the Premier League or with the aspirations of being there that their

competition is about to get a lot more difficult and a fear among those who tend to compete at the bottom that one of their rivals for relegation may be about to depart that zone of the Premier League.

It has been relayed to me that from the meetings that have taken place,

such as last week, there has been a vocal element within the Premier League group of clubs, especially from the clubs with female chief executives, namely Everton, Leicester and West Ham. I think Burnley have also been very vocal on a moral front towards Saudi Arabia, human rights,

women's rights, LBTQ plus persecution, but the exact reasoning is sort of unknown and a lot of skepticism around it. Is it just self-interest, but it's not going away, Mark, it's bubbling under the surface. Many of these clubs are deeply unhappy and are holding more meetings and conversations.

Whether they can do anything now or not, I don't know, but certainly they have the power to change rules

...