The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Tricky summer ahead for Howe and his staff
NEWCASTLE United will have to manoeuvre their way around strict FFP and PSR rules again this summer with Eddie Howe already getting an indication on his spending limit.
Talk of an Nba-style “luxury tax” has died down and the current PSR rulebook will be in place again this summer, although Premier League clubs remain in discussions with Richard Masters and top-flight chiefs over potential change.
The argument put to Masters by some of the wealthier clubs is that the global brand of the Premier League will be in danger of losing its status as the best league in the world if clubs aren’t allowed to lure some of the game’s top players to star within it.
However, there are concerns from the less wealthy sides and rivals who feel threatened by Newcastle’s spending potential if the rules are relaxed while the traditional top six will fear Newcastle breaking the league’s monopoly.
Some clubs want a UEFA style PSR rule book, which stated that only 70% of a club’s income can be made up by transfer fees and wage budgets.
Newcastle will have room for manoeuvre as reach the end of a threeyear FFP cycle but given the current harsh rules that have resulted in relegation-haunted Nottingham Forest and Everton struggling, the Saudibacked Magpies must cut their cloth some they accordingly. Outgoing business, with Newcastle looking set to sell Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis, will also be a factor and clearing the likes of Jeff Hendrick and Loris Karius off the wage bill should help. Losing Fraser, Lewis and Hendrick alone will shave off around £840,000 per month in wages for Newcastle.
But it is the calibre of summer transfers that fans are the most interested in.
Newcastle have spent more than £400million on transfers since the takeover and must try to be creative with the way they approach the next window.
Howe hinted at the prospect of signing those with potential recently and said: “Where we sit now in terms of wages and transfer fees, I don’t think we are in a position to do that. We have to sign and develop players with the potential to become world-class.
“We are well on the way to doing that. It does not mean you can’t have (world class) players in your squad it just means that you have to work really hard with them. I have no issue doing it.”
It means that a tricky summer lies ahead for Howe and his backroom team as they look to add quality rather than quantity to their current squad.
Head of recruitment Steve Nickson and senior scout Mick Tait have been spotted at Premier League destinations scouting players already plying their trade in England.