Newcastle United's 11 best and 11 worst signings during Mike Ashley's ownership

The controversial figure has owned the club for 12 years - and his transfer policy has angered fans

Ayoze Perez: Mike Ashley likes a bargain, and the Spaniard certainly falls into that bracket having cost just £1m from Tenerife in 2014. Top scorer this season with a season's best 12 in England, but he's a clever player who has more to his game than goals. Linked with a host of other clubs as he enters his prime at 25. Getty Images

Hatem Ben Arfa: The Frenchman's career has been full of highs and lows. He arrived from Marseille in 2011 for a fee in the region of £2m and scored two goal of the season contenders in 2012. It didn't last but when he was on form, he was seriously good. Currently at Rennes in France but has said he isn't happy there. AFP

Demba Ba: 29 goals in 54 Premier League appearances is the kind of rate Alan Shearer was pleased with. To top it off, he came on a free transfer and was sold to Chelsea for £7m. Has most recently been playing in Turkey. AFP

Salomon Rondon: He may only have been a loan signing but what a great loan nonetheless. Any other club would have paid the £16.5m fee West Brom have been asking for. A tower of strength upfront this season, he netted 11 times. Getty

Dwight Gayle: Cost £10m from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2016 - a lot of money for the Ashley era. The money couldn't have been better spent as he fired Newcastle to promotion with 23 league goals in 26 starts. Then struggled in the Premier League and was loan-swapped with Rondon and another prolific season in the Championship ensued. PA

Yohan Cabaye: Brought in for £4.8m in July 2011 from Lille and that looked a bargain as he added goals and creativity to midfield. The Frenchman scored 17 across three seasons in the Premier League before joining PSG for £19m - Ashley's perfect type of business. Getty Images

Matt Ritchie: Impressed in the lower leagues before getting his chance higher up the ladder with Bournemouth. Having had Premier League experience and agreeing to drop down to the Championship, he was a shrewd purchase, scoring 12 times from the wing as Newcastle went back up in 2017. Still a regular in the side and decent value at £12m. Reuters

Jonas Gutierrez: The fee paid to Mallorca in La Liga in 2008 was undisclosed but the Argentine was a regular for five seasons before having treatment for cancer. The winger made a return to first team action and was hugely popular with fans before moving on in 2015. Getty Images

Georginio Wijnaldum: An expensive buy at £14.5m from PSV and ended up relegated in his only season on Tyneside. However, he was top scorer that season with 11, including four in one match against Norwich and was sold for £25m making the club a hefty profit. Getty Images

Martin Dubravka: An unheard of loan signing from Sparta Prague, he has become an excellent piece of business having signed permanently for £4m. Impressed on debut versus Manchester United in 2018 and is now established as number 1 in an era when Premier League keepers can cost upwards of £50m. AFP

Fabian Schar: Cost just £3m from Deportivo last summer, the Swiss has been a vital part of a robust defence. Won Premier League goal of the month for February. Getty Images

There's no shortage of ire aimed at Mike Ashley from Newcastle United fans, and much of it is due to his transfer dealings.

The British sportswear tycoon has been in charge on Tyneside since 2007, and the club's supporters are desperate to see him move on.

They may just get their wish as representatives of Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed, chairman of the Bin Zayed Group, claimed on Monday evening to have "agreed terms" for the English Premier League club.

Newcastle have recorded two successive mid-table finishes in the league under the astute guidance of manager Rafa Benitez.

But Ashley has continued to pull the purse strings tight compared to other Premier League clubs, resulting in criticism for a lack of ambition.

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11 worst Newcastle signings

Siem de Jong: The Dutchman was highly regarded after impressing at Ajax and signed a six-year deal when joining for £6m. He was likened to Teddy Sheringham for his awareness, but his time at Newcastle quickly went downhill as a host of injuries restricted him to just 22 Premier League games in three years. AFP

Florian Thauvin: Infamously turned up to matches in a tuxedo and bow tie. Cost £15m from Marseille in 2015 but quickly drifted out of the picture and failed to score in the Premier League. The winger has since been one of the best players in France with plenty of goals and has won caps for France. Jean-Paul Pelissier / Reuters

Henri Saivet: Was handed a five-year contract and cost £5m from Bordeaux as Newcastle tried to stave off relegation in 2016. He's cost £1m for every Premier League appearance. Has had loan moves away but is still on Newcastle's books. Jean-Pierre Muller / AFP

Seydou Doumbia: Prolific at Young Boys and CSKA Moscow and Newcastle needed a striker to help stave off the threat of relegation in 2016. Doumbia however looked anything but the player to save them and made only three substitute appearances after joining on loan. AFP

Matz Sels: The first signing under Rafa Benitez in 2016 when he cost £6.5m from Gent. Dropped after nine matches and moved on to Anderlecht on loan and then Strasbourg permanently. Getty Images

Sylvain Marveaux (right): Signed a five-year deal on big wages but played only 39 times over three seasons before returning to play in France. AFP

Ignacio Nacho Gonzalez: Does any non-Newcastle fan remember him? He came on a loan deal from Valencia in 2008 after manager Kevin Keegan was reportedly "forced" to sign him as a "favour". Made two appearances and went back to Spain. Getty Images

Xisco: Having shown glimpses of goalscoring prowess at Deportivo, the Spaniard was signed for £5.7m in September 2008. Nine appearances, one goal and was eventually off the books for good in 2013. The biggest flop of them all given his high wages. AFP

Yoshinori Muto: £9.5m for one goal so far. The Japanese arrived from Mainz in Germany last summer and has made little impact. Well down the pecking order. Getty Images

Emmanuel Riviere: 26 Premier League appearances, one goal. Was signed on a four-year deal for £6m from Monaco in 2014 and was offloaded to Metz in 2017 where he managed to find the net again. His one goal was a mishit too. EPA

Remy Cabella: Signings from the French league were a common theme among Newcastle's transfer policy as they were deemed decent value for money. Cabella however wasn't great value after joining for £8m from Montpellier in 2014. The midfielder played 31 times, scored once and went back to France with Marseille. At least Newcastle recouped £6m. He's done well in France since. Getty Images

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He has been a master of balancing the books when it comes to transfers - and that's no mean feat in this age of ballooning player values.

Examples of his profitable transfer policy include the 2010/11 season when the club spent in the region of £10 million but recouped £35m when Andy Carroll was sold to Liverpool.

In the 2013/14 season, only Loic Remy arrived for a considerable fee (£2m), while Yohan Cabaye was sold for £20m.

Relegation from the Premier League in 2016 saw around £85m brought in from player sales while £55m was reinvested into the squad.

And the minimalist spend trend has continued with the club since back in the Premier League.

The current season saw £53m spent - £20m of which went on club record signing Miguel Almiron, while almost £40m was recouped from the sales of the likes of Alexsandar Mitrovic, Mikel Merino and Chancel Mbemba.

To be fair to Ashley, the club has picked up some fantastic bargains during the past decade, but there's been some horrendous errors in the transfer market too.

See the 11 best and 11 worst transfers in the slideshows above.