Newcastle United are back among Europe's elite and Harry Redknapp sees no reason why Magpies supporters will care about their Saudi Arabia-backed ownership if their success continues.
Eddie Howe's side finished fourth in the Premier League last season, qualifying for the Champions League in their first full campaign under the majority control of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The Magpies were flirting with relegation when a PIF-led consortium took charge in 2021, with signings including Bruno Guimaraes eventually helping them to safety.
Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak and others have since joined as Newcastle continue to invest heavily, though their owners have attracted plenty of criticism from supporters of other clubs.
Saudi Arabia has been condemned for its poor human rights record and criminalisation of same-sex relationships, but Redknapp believes those ethical questions will be ignored by most fans.
"[The Saudis] are not going to mess about, they've got the money," former Tottenham and Portsmouth manager Redknapp told Stats Perform.
"They've come in and bought Newcastle. It's the Saudis that have bought Newcastle. Do the Newcastle fans really care now whether they're from Saudi Arabia or whether they're Geordies who own the club?
"They couldn't care two monkeys. For them, if they're winning games and they're taking a club forward and improving the team… they don't care, they're just happy."
Newcastle's supporters became disenchanted during the reign of previous owner Mike Ashley, with their new financial power a major boost for a club that last won a major trophy in 1955.
The Magpies are expected to mount another top-four challenge this term, and Redknapp believes that will be the only concern for most supporters.
"Their team is winning, they've got good players, the manager's great, everything's fine," he continued. "They're not bothered about who owns the club.
"So I think we'd all get carried away. I've always said if Saddam Hussein had bought a team, they'd be singing 'There's only one Saddam'.
"The fans don't care who owns a club, as long as they're producing, bringing in better players and the team are winning."
The PIF has also started to invest heavily in the Saudi Pro League in recent months, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and other elite players making big-money moves to the Gulf.
Premier League clubs are largely unable to compete with the financial incentives offered in Saudi Arabia, and Redknapp is unsure how England's top clubs can respond.
"I don't know what response [the Premier League] can make," he continued. "You're not going to stop players going over there. Give players a chance and they will go.
"They can all come out and say I don't agree with this, don't agree with that, but when the money's put in front of them, they're all whizzing off over there and it won't stop.
"We've seen players going and there's an awful lot more who would love the opportunity. I speak to people who ask me if I know anybody who can get certain players, top players, over there, international players that want to go.
"When the money is there and they can treble or quadruple their wages, they're going to go. It's going to be the place a lot of players are going to want to go and play, and make a fortune."
Al-Nassr 3-1 Al-Khaleej: Ronaldo nets twice and passes up penalty in cup semi-final
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the scoresheet with two goals as Al-Nassr beat Al-Khaleej 3-1 to reach the final of the King Cup of Champions on Wednesday.
Ronaldo scored either side of half-time as Al-Nassr teed up a final clash with Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, who beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the other semi-final on Tuesday.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star took advantage of an error from opposing goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic to open the scoring 17 minutes in, then tapped home at the second attempt to make it a double shortly before the hour mark.
That goal could have made it a hat-trick for the Portugal star, but he passed up the chance to take a first-half penalty after Ivo Rodrigues handled in the area, Sadio Mane instead stepping up to blast his kick into the top corner.
Fawaz Al Terais was on target late on for Al-Khaleej, but that proved a mere consolation in a one-sided affair which saw Al-Nassr rack up 21 shots and 3.78 expected goals (xG), with their opponents managing just nine shots totalling 1.37 xG.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo's mini drought over
Ronaldo was frustrated against Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, but he was back on song against the same opponents on Wednesday to end his mini drought of two games.
While Ronaldo's 43 touches were the fewest of any outfielder to start for Al-Nassr, he managed seven shots, five shots from inside the area and four dribbles – all game-high figures.
Sancho outshines Mbappe as Dortmund seize initiative against PSG
Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho issued a reminder of his star quality as Borussia Dortmund beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday.
Niclas Fullkrug scored the winner after 36 minutes, taking in Nico Schlotterbeck's floated pass before driving a low shot beyond PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Fullkrug has now been involved in six Champions League goals this season (three goals, three assists), the joint-most by a German player in their debut campaign in the competition, alongside BVB team-mate Marco Reus in 2012-13 (four goals, two assists).
The star of the show, however, was undoubtedly Sancho.
He tormented Nuno Mendes throughout a lively performance, creating three chances for his team-mates – a game-high tally alongside Julian Brandt, Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi.
Sancho had completed seven dribbles by the halfway point, more than he managed in any full game for the Red Devils.
By full-time, that number had crept up to 12, the most by any player in a Champions League semi-final since Lionel Messi completed 16 for Barcelona against United in April 2008, and the most on record by an Englishman at any stage of the competition (since 2003-04).
Sancho even outshone Mbappe, who struck the far post with a curling effort early in the second half but was limited to just three shots totalling 0.17 expected goals (xG).
PSG did have their chances, though, with their total of 14 shots their most without scoring in any Champions League game since the second leg of their 2020-21 semi-final against Manchester City (also 14), when they were beaten 2-0 and eliminated from the competition.
Dortmund are now unbeaten in 11 straight Champions League home games, winning seven and drawing four.
It's their longest ever such streak at Signal Iduna Park, and they have also won four straight knockout games on their own turf for the first time in their Champions League history.
While Dortmund have a valuable lead to protect in Paris next Tuesday, Edin Terzic will be expecting a strong reaction from PSG.
The Ligue 1 champions have progressed from two of their last four Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg, with the first of those successes coming against Dortmund in the last 16 in 2019-20 (1-2 away, 2-0 at home).
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain: Fullkrug hands hosts first-leg win
Niclas Fullkrug fired home a first-half winner as Borussia Dortmund claimed a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie in Germany.
Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Fullkrug's path and the Germany international brought the ball under his spell with a wonderful touch before drilling a low shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 36th minute.
PSG, on the back foot for much of the first half, improved after the break and struck the woodwork twice in a matter of moments just after the restart.
Kylian Mbappe curled an effort against the right-hand post before Achraf Hakimi scuffed a shot against the other upright on the rebound as Edin Terzic's side escaped with a first-leg lead.
The teams will meet again at the Parc des Princes next Tuesday, with the winners of the tie facing either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid – who drew 2-2 in their first leg on Tuesday – in the final at Wembley Stadium.
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