Journalist Alex Crook has shared why he thinks FFP restrictions on Newcastle United’s spending go against what the Premier League is about.
Since the new ownership came in back in October 2021, Newcastle have been very careful to do everything by the book and not spend beyond their means.
On talkSPORT’s Premier League All Access podcast, Crook sympathised with Newcastle’s situation as they continue to live by the restrictions of FFP while others can spend astronomical amounts.
Newcastle are doing everything by the rule book
As we’ve seen very recently, the Premier League take FFP restrictions very seriously and if you’re found guilty of breaching it even just the once, like Everton were, you can be handed a 10-point deduction last months.
Other clubs, however, just seem to keep on spending and spending and face very little if any consequences, giving an unfair advantage to those big sides.
FFP was brought in to stop teams from spending more than they can afford, but it ultimately means that teams like Man City and Chelsea, who have so much historic revenue, can spend almost as much as they want.
On the other hand, Newcastle could have the richest owners in the world, which they do, but they can’t spend it because commercially they just aren’t as big as the other clubs and they never will be if they aren’t allowed to spend.
As Crooks discusses, this brings up the idea of FFP making the Premier League a closed shop for those who have already established themselves at the top, keeping them there for the foreseeable future and frustrating teams like Newcastle who want to challenge them.
On the podcast, Crook said: “I do sympathise with Newcastle because they’re so determined to operate in the correct manner in terms of FFP and they’re being penalised for it.
“The owners would love to spend more money, and this is my issue with FFP, it almost makes the Premier League a close shop because the established clubs, Man United, Man City, Chelsea can spend as much as they want because they have the historic revenue.
“If you’re a new money club and you want to break into that select group it’s very difficult to do.”
Newcastle have to find a way around FFP to compete at the top
It’s fair to say that Newcastle are spending a lot more than they were under the previous ownership, though that isn’t saying very much given how reluctant Mike Ashley was to invest in his team.
Of course money isn’t everything and as we’ve seen with both Everton and Chelsea, the latter in particular spending around £1bn since Todd Boehly took over, you still need good coaching and a system to win football matches.
That said, the money is most certainly a huge help and for a team like Newcastle, who are struggling with an injury crisis, it would mean they can bring in reinforcements just like every elite side has.
What Newcastle need to do and what they have been doing is finding the most lucrative commercial deals to increase the amount they can spend. Though this may not be as much as City or Chelsea, it’s at least a step in the right direction.
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