Alan Shearer was enjoying a much-deserved lazy morning lie-in having just led Southampton to Champions League qualification and a first-ever European trophy. That was until the peace was disturbed by the startling blare of his mobile phone.
The Southampton board rewarded Alan Shearer for his 8th-place finish and Carabao Cup win with a whopping transfer budget that was effectively around £300 million.
You may have heard the news that Southampton were recently the subject of a "tycoon takeover" from Serbian media mogul Dragan Solak. Having just completed our Spending Saudi Gold Football Manager Experiment following Newcastle's tycoon takeover, this presented the perfect opportunity to run another one.
Newcastle United became Champions of England for the first time after blowing more than £1 billion in four years to bring in some of the world's best young talent. And director of football Alan Shearer had even more money available to tweak the squad in a bid to defend that maiden title.
Newcastle United finished 2nd in the Premier League in 2023/24 - only behind surprise title winners Tottenham. But a bumper transfer budget meant 'Director of Football' Alan Shearer had a busy summer ahead of him.
Despite spending £469 million in two years and a bright start to the second season, Newcastle United 'only' finished sixth in 2022/23.
This experiment, as the save name suggests, takes us to Newcastle United and their new moneybags Saudi owners.
The final season at the University of Bolton Stadium - formerly the Reebok Stadium and Macron Stadium - saw Bolton Wanderers competing in the SkyBet Championship for the seventh successive season. That's because the club is set to move to the brand new Eddie Davies Arena for the 2029/30 campaign.
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