Declan Rice’s wage demands are reportedly going to be the big stumbling block when it comes to a move to Newcastle United.
The sky is blue, water is wet and Luke Edwards will always bring jubilant Newcastle fans down to Earth with a bump.
Writing in The Telegraph, Edwards has stated: “Sources have told Telegraph Sport that Newcastle are likely to spend more in this window than they have done before under their Saudi Arabian owners, although there will still be restrictions in place and the wage bill will be capped.
Newcastle want to protect the harmony in the squad
Those wage restrictions are likely to be the chief hindrance in Howe’s desire to sign “elite players” with targets like Declan Rice and Mason Mount asking for way more than Newcastle appear willing to pay.”
It’s a valid point by Edwards and his source, for sure. There have always been noises from the club to that effect. It’s believed that increasing the wage cap to bring in superstars would disrupt the harmony within the squad as stars already on the books may feel they should be paid in-line with what the newbies are getting and so the discontent begins.
However, if the PIF and the board are serious about competing at the highest level, they are going to need those types of players who command high wages, and they’re going to have to pay said wages.
Declan Rice is likely going to cost a huge £120million and on top of that it’s reasonable to expect that he’s going demand wages that reflect that value. To say that Newcastle will be put off by his wage demands is kind of crazy.
Surely, with the footballing minds Newcastle have brought in since the takeover, nobody inside the club were thinking they could land an ‘unbelievable‘ player like Declan Rice for £120million as a statement signing then pay him £50,000-a-week.
If we want statement signings we will need to pay statement wages
Unless the thinking is more along the lines that they’re not willing to do it yet. That would make more sense. Newcastle landing themselves in a cup final and then grabbing Champions League football was never on the cards for the PIF’s first full season.
The club are two or three years ahead of schedule in that regard and perhaps the board are just trying to see if this was a freak season, or if they are ready to compete. The obvious way to handle it as an outsider with no clue how to run a football club is to just throw money at it, now that we’re here that’s the only way to stay there.
There are reports saying that Newcastle want to make statement signings like Neymar one minute and then there’s reports like this saying that we will spend big, but seemingly more likely to be on lots of players rather than one big name.
I guess we will soon see as the summer bounds into view over the horizon how Newcastle handle their business in the transfer window and if we do go for Declan Rice or someone of a similar ilk.