Erling Haaland Newcastle United transfer opportunity blocked by familiar Premier League rule
When PIF completed their takeover of Newcastle United, supporters were left dreaming of star-studded transfer windows. Up until the recent summer transfer window, the Magpies had recruited incredibly well, with Eddie Howe transforming the club from relegation strugglers to Champions League qualification contenders.
Fans were full of excitement in anticipation about some of the stars who could come through the door at St. James’ Park. Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Anthony Gordon are the quartet of arrivals who’ve made the biggest impact since arriving, while Sandro Tonali, Tino Livremento and Lewis Hall have also found their feet in the last few months.
And yet for all the excitement, the most recent summer transfer window was a one of disappointment. As Manchester United splashed another £200million on players, Newcastle were forced to sell promising young talents Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to comply with the Premier League’s PSR rules.
The fact those additions at Old Trafford have been a flop is an argument for another day, yet the underlying theme remains, with the top-six being able to invest while those looking to hunt them down are limited in what they can do.
It’s not a fresh gripe, but still one that annoys the Magpies’ faithful and Toon boss Howe. Newcastle have reiterated the need to sell players this window before they can splash the cash.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Bournemouth last month, Howe said: “The days when teams don’t sell big players are gone. I think our revenue streams aren’t where we want them to be. We’re still trying to grow them, so I think that trading in and out is going to be essential.
“Hopefully it’s not going to be players that we’re forced to sell but you can’t guarantee anything. The issue with PSR and our position is that nothing is clearcut. Nothing is absolutely fixed; there will be lots of twists and turns in January. But we want to try and improve the squad.”
The summer window which saw Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon linked with moves away from St. James’ Park left a sour taste in the mouth, and that was before the departures of Minteh and Anderson. The latter of whom has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League this season for high flying Nottingham Forest.
And yet, Premier League chief Richard Masters has doubled down on the current PSR stance, despite so much backlash from clubs up and down the division. “I believe they have had a positive impact,” the top-flight’s chief executive told Sky Sports. “Not everyone agrees with me that the rules are the right ones at the moment: ‘They should be liberated, they should be tightened.’ There is a difference of opinion so my job is to align at least 14 clubs, hopefully 20, on what the right answers to these questions are going forward.
“Our job is to make clubs successful and part of that, actually, is enforcing the rules. They all agree that we have to have rules. They all sign up to the rule book and shake hands on it once a year at our AGM and the centre of our job is to enforce the rules.
“Unfortunately, there’s no happy alternative to it. The alternative seems to be not to have a rule book at all and not enforce them, and that is a far worse choice and not one we have ever contemplated. It does bring difficulties, but those difficulties have to be faced up to.”
His comments are timely given the January transfer window is now open. The Premier League will argue that Nottingham Forest and Newcastle have been able to perform at a high level regardless of the PSR rules in place, and yet the Tricky Trees were one of the sides given a points deduction for breaching top flight rules last season.
The Magpies should be able to spend in the current January transfer window without the fear of points deductions. Take Victor Osimhen for example.
The Nigerian international is one of the hottest prospects in Europe right now and has been linked with a move to St. James’ Park on a number of occasions, and yet, the top flight’s current financial rules make signing him almost impossible. A front line of Osimhen and Isak would be one of, if not the best strike partnerships in the division.
A signing of his calibre would lift Newcastle to another level and yet, here we are. The Napoli striker is currently on loan with Turkish side Galatasaray, has nine goals and three assist in 11 SuperLig appearances and is available on a cut price fee for a number of clubs across Europe.
In an ideal world, the Magpies would be in the conversation to bolster their ranks but their hands are tied. Something has to change.
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