Eddie Howe reveals what Newcastle have to…

Eddie Howe reveals what Newcastle have to 'dramatically change' for Financial Fair Play solution

Eddie Howe has stressed that Financial Fair Play is 'real' for Newcastle United - just days after rivals Man City were charged with more than 100 alleged breaches of the rules.

Newcastle have spent more than a quarter of a billion pounds on new signings in the last 12 months or so, but outsiders expected the Magpies to go even bigger after the takeover in October, 2021. This was the so-called 'richest club in the world', after all.

However, Newcastle's owners have repeatedly stressed the importance of complying with FFP and those regulations meant the PIF could not splash out in the way they have with, say, LIV Golf. In a week where City were charged by the Premier League with 115 alleged breaches of the top-flight's financial rules - charges which the champions vehemently deny - it is easy to see why Newcastle have been so conscious of sticking to their limits.

Howe did not wish to comment on the City case, and simply wants to 'let the investigation do its work', but the resources the Premier League have poured into a four-year investigation prove FFP is far from dead.

“I've always said that Financial Fair Play is real for us," Howe told reporters. "I'm not there doing the figures and the numbers and I don't quite understand how it fully works. I'm obviously led by the people above me at the club to say what we can and can't do.

“But certainly it's been there and I think it will continue to be there for us unless we can dramatically change our revenue streams. That's the way football is going."

It is easy to see why Newcastle need to bring more money in. Newcastle may have been named among the top 20 highest revenue generating clubs in world football last month by Deloitte, but the Magpies were behind Everton, Leeds United, Leicester City and West Ham in the table after years of stagnation in the Ashley era. At a time when Chelsea's turnover was quadruple the size of Newcastle's in the clubs' most recent set of accounts, the club clearly have a lot of work to do off the field.

Newcastle have made up a lot of ground on the pitch, though, and the prospect of getting into Europe could yet open a number of doors commercially at a time when Amazon's cameras are already filming at the club's training ground for a new documentary. Finishing in the top four, and qualifying for the Champions League, would certainly give Newcastle real grounds to justify lucrative sponsorship deals are of fair market value.

Player trading, which is something Newcastle failed to do successfully for many years, will also be important and the decision to let Jonjo Shelvey and Chris Wood join Nottingham Forest last month eased the wage bill a little. Newcastle may have still signed Anthony Gordon and Harrison Ashby from Everton and West Ham respectively, but Chelsea, Southampton, Arsenal and Bournemouth all still ended up spending more money in the transfer market last month after the hierarchy opted not to escalate summer plans.

“They have [been sensible]," Howe added. "Quite rightly so because the conditions we face mean that we have to.

"Hopefully it does give a greater understanding of our methods and what we have tried to do and me in press conferences trying to explain it.

"It’s very difficult to understand it unless you’ve got all the numbers in front of you. To actually fully give you the information is almost impossible but, by how we act in the transfer market, hopefully it makes sense."

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Eddie Howe reveals what Newcastle have to 'dramatically change' for Financial Fair Play solution

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