Toon battle Red Devils for £156m

NEWCASTLE United may well be unable to match their top four finish from the 2022/23 season – but there is still a huge prize pot for Eddie Howe’s men to play for in the Premier League.

As Newcastle head towards the season’s end, club chiefs know that the difference between finishing sixth or seventh this term could be worth around £1.5m. But achieving sixth place ahead of Manchester United will be worth around £156m in total when it comes to prize money and TV broadcast payments.

The Magpies will be firmly focused on events on the pitch and keep trying to maintain sixth spot.

But the club’s money men will also have an eye on events at Manchester United as the Red Devils face Sheffield United and have a chance of leapfrogging Howe’s team.

In a huge week for Newcastle they know they could haul themselves ahead of the likes of Chelsea, West Ham and Brighton with, at the time of writing, six points up for grabs at Palace, then home to Sheffield United.

Newcastle’s fourth place finish last season netted £164.3m plus the riches of the Champions League that will show up on the next set of accounts. And while that figure will be smaller than last term, Howe’s team have already performed brilliantly since the last international break and turned 10th place in to sixth, which could be the difference between pocketing an extra £11m in prize and merit money.

In terms of the club’s historical performance in the Premier League table, Newcastle could still achieve one of their best positions in recent times. Their fourth place finish was the best since 2003 when they ended the campaign in third spot under Sir Bobby Robson.

But since 2004, when Robson guided the team to fifth place and lost his job months later, Newcastle have managed just one other top six finish. That came under Alan Pardew when he achieved fifth spot and qualified for the Europa League.

Speaking about United’s prospects in the remainder of this season, Howe said: “I think European football is a big achievement for where we are on our journey at the moment. Especially with the season we have had this year, that would be an achievement. From where we were, a big achievement yes.”