The former model who became the go-to broker for the wealthiest sheikhs in the world

In the aftermath of Newcastle United’s 3-1 victory over Everton at St James’ Park in February 2022, footage emerged of co-owner Amanda Staveley awkwardly attempting a handshake with a Newcastle fan.

As Staveley offered her hand, the supporter went for a fist bump so she copied him, just as the fan alternated to a handshake. They tried one more time before giving up altogether.

“We always celebrate a win with rock, paper, scissors up here,” joked one supporter on social media.

Financier Amanda Staveley: “Newcastle is like a magical, very beautiful, rough diamond.”Credit: AP

For a consummate networker, the awkward exchange probably made Staveley cringe just as much as it left Newcastle’s fan base wincing. Staveley, 51, is the South Yorkshire girl who became the unlikely toast of the Middle East and one of the most powerful people in football.

Over the past decade and a half, the former part-time model, restaurateur and one-time Olympic hopeful has emerged as the go-to broker for some of the wealthiest sheikhs in the Arabian Gulf. As the region sought to pour its petro-dollars first into Britain’s broken banking system during the credit crunch and then into the elite of England’s football Premier League, Staveley found herself at the forefront of negotiations.

A £300 million ($586 million) takeover of Newcastle United in 2021 at the hands of Saudi Arabia’s state-backed Public Investment Fund – brokered by Staveley – was the culmination of more than two decades of rubbing shoulders with Middle Eastern royalty stretching back to the restaurant she opened as a 23-year-old.

With its proximity to Newmarket racecourse, in particular the illustrious Godolphin stables owned by Dubai’s ruling Maktoum family, a super-ambitious Staveley began cultivating ties with some of the richest people on the planet.

Yet, misgivings about the true strength of her ties to the movers and shakers of the Arab world, together with a tendency to become embroiled in legal disputes with former business partners and rivals, means she has struggled at times to be accepted as a serious dealmaker.

Now, fresh questions about the basis upon which the Newcastle deal was granted Premier League approval could threaten to undermine Staveley’s attempts to stitch together a much bigger deal after selling out of Newcastle in the summer: a Gulf-led investment in Tottenham Hotspur that would value the London club at more than £3 billion.

Well-heeled clients

Those who have worked closely with Staveley describe one of the best-connected fixers in London – someone who has acted as a crucial go-between for big business and Middle Eastern investors, brokering deals worth billions of dollars and pocketing tens of millions worth of fees in the process.

Saudi Arabia’s state-backed Public Investment Funds purchase of Newcastle United in 2021 can be traced back to a meeting Staveley and Ghodoussi had aboard the Serene, a superyacht owned by Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, two years earlier.Credit: Reuters

“There is no doubt in my mind that she has direct access to those at the very top of the PIF and Mubadala [the United Arab Emirates state-backed investment fund],” a top banker said.

Staveley’s success has afforded her and her Iranian husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi a lifestyle in keeping with the clients she represents. They own a £10 million Regency townhouse on London’s Park Lane, described as “massive; a proper house” by one City adviser who was drafted to help with a deal she was putting together.

Guests are greeted by a piano near the front door adorned with framed photos of Staveley and her biggest clients side-by-side.

The PIF’s purchase of Newcastle United after 14 years in the hands of Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley can be traced back to a meeting Staveley and Ghodoussi had aboard the Serene, a superyacht owned by Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, two years earlier.

With Staveley struggling to complete the audacious swoop, it was there, on the clear waters of the Red Sea, that the financier first approached Yasir al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor, about investing alongside her firm PCP Partners.

Business figures describe Staveley as a “rainmaker” (a City label for those who originate deals) with a somewhat chaotic style. Yet, this is countered by a personal charm and resolve that enables her to get even the most improbable deals over the line.

“Amanda is phenomenally unfocused and an enormous name-dropper. She drove me mad. She was always late, always talking about other things and doing a million things at once,” one corporate financier who has worked alongside her said.

“Yet, you can’t help but like her. She’s very personable and there is something endearing about her being all over the place. She’s made a lot of money too,” the person added.

Fresh questions about the basis upon which the Newcastle deal was granted Premier League approval could threaten to undermine Staveley’s attempts to stitch together a much bigger deal after selling out of Newcastle in the summer: a Gulf-led investment in Tottenham Hotspur that would value the London club at more than £3 billion.Credit: Getty

Contacts span a wide spectrum from Gulf royalty and Greek shipping magnates to former Tory politician David Mellor, BlackRock investment guru Larry Fink, and fallen Topshop tycoon Sir Philip Green, according to reports.

Close associates include Rumayyan, whom she has described as “one of my best friends”, and the Reuben brothers, Simon and David, whose fortune is estimated at more than £24 billion. As well as investing alongside the Saudis and Staveley in Newcastle, the pair lent her £30 million so she could acquire a 10 per cent stake in the club. The siblings were “like my family”, she once declared.

“Amanda is really smart. She’s surprised a lot of people and she’s very charming - she can turn that on very easily when she wants to,” another City figure said.

Yet, a willingness to allow business disputes to be settled in court has at times proven enormously costly.

In 2021, Staveley lost a fraught multi-million pound High Court battle with Barclays, having sued the bank for £1.5 billion over a Qatar-backed bailout it accepted during the financial crash. PCP lined up a subsequent investment package from Abu Dhabi investors but Staveley alleged the Qataris had been handed preferential terms.

Sexist remarks

During the bruising encounter, sexist remarks made by Barclays bosses including her being dismissed as “a dolly bird” and “thick” were read out. Lawyers for Barclays also accused Staveley of exaggerating her links with Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Staveley, who helped Sheikh Mansour to buy Manchester City in 2008, earning a £5 million fee for her troubles, replied that she was “absolutely furious” at suggestions that parts of her testimony were invented. At one point she was reduced to tears under cross-examination.

Though Staveley ultimately lost her High Court claim, Barclays was found to have deceived PCP and “guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation”, Justice David Waksman said. Each side had to pay its own multi-million-pound legal costs.

Waksman also rejected the bank’s attempts to paint her as a lightweight “chancer”, describing Staveley as a “tough, clever and creative entrepreneur” whose evidence was mostly “reliable”.

Blackrock investment guru Larry Fink is another close confidant. Credit: Bloomberg

She has since launched a fresh legal fight against Barclays at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration court in Paris, which is expected to run until 2026.

Last year, Staveley was forced to repay a £10 million loan to Ashley after he took legal action against her. She was loaned the sum by Ashley to help cover her costs associated with the deal. He claimed that Staveley had breached the terms of the loan by criticising him publicly and using the debt to put “commercial pressure” on him.

The billionaire also objected to the payment of a £2 million commission fee to Instagram influencer Carla DiBello for her role as an “introducer” to the PIF. Staveley and Mr Ghodoussi, who was her guarantor for the loan, originally contested the claim but eventually agreed to repay the full sum.

“Amanda and Mehrdad would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Ashley for the provision of the loan and separately for the support to the whole consortium,” a spokesman said.

‘Amanda is phenomenally unfocused and an enormous name-dropper. She drove me mad. She was always late, always talking about other things and doing a million things at once.’

A financier who worked alongside Staveley

Staveley is also embroiled in a dispute over a £10 million loan that Victor Restis, the Greek shipping tycoon, made to Staveley’s firm in 2008. Despite repaying £3.5 million to Restis, in September he pushed PCP – since renamed Apollo Belvedere Services – into liquidation in an attempt to recover interest on the loan. Apollo’s £1.6 million settlement offer had been rejected by Restis.

‘A real fighter’

Weeks later, liquidators were appointed to another of Staveley’s companies, corporate advisory outfit Redstart Leisure. The move was a direct consequence of the threat of higher taxes from an expected increase in capital gains tax by the government, a spokesman said.

City sources question the damage that frequent court appearances could do to her reputation.

“She’s a real fighter. By going after Barclays again it shows you should never underestimate her, which some people were guilty of in the past. But the thing with litigation is it can work both ways. Amanda risks being seen as toxic,” a City source said.

For the time being, she remains a hero among the Geordie faithful. After selling out of the club in July, fans unfurled a giant banner of her and Ghodoussi with the words “Thank You” on it at this season’s opening Premier League game.

Staveley described her departure as bitter-sweet, saying she was “devastated” but that she “didn’t want to get in Newcastle’s way”.

Yet, with reports claiming Staveley is lining up Magpies manager Eddie Howe to replace Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, there is still time for her love affair with the North East to end in acrimony.

Telegraph, London

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.