‘Good news’ - Newcastle United’s ‘strong’ PSR position revealed amid major Aston Villa ‘concerns’

Newcastle United were forced to scramble at the end of June last year to sell players, comply with PSR and avoid a points deduction. Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh were the players they opted to offload, raising around £70m in the process, to avoid falling foul of PSR.

Ultimately, their performances on the pitch ensured that they qualified for the Champions League - something that would not have been possible had they been handed a points deduction. This summer, Newcastle will hope to put a very quiet 18 months on the transfer front behind them and really attack a summer window which could prove to be transformational

Kieran Maguire’s verdict on Newcastle United’s PSR position

Unlike twelve months ago, the Magpies are understood to be on much better footing financially and, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, can ‘compete’ in the summer market for the first time in two years. “Newcastle United have had three very quiet windows by their standards and the good news for Newcastle is, because PSR is set over a three-year period, that season 2021/22 where Newcastle lost over £70m that drops out of the equation on the first of July,” Maguire told Sky Sports.

“I think that Newcastle are in a much stronger position this summer to compete once again in the market. They don’t have as free of a reign as the likes of Chelsea, but they are still in a far stronger position than they were 12 months ago.

“I don’t see any pressure on the club in a need to sell players before they start to bring anyone in. There could be some player trading, they have freed up some of their spots on the wage budget, but there’s not that very, very significant pressure as we saw with Anderson and Minteh leaving last June.”

Aston Villa’s ‘concerning’ PSR position

Whilst there is expected to be few worries about PSR on Tyneside, there will be a few headaches at Villa Park this summer as Aston Villa search for ways to ensure they avoid a points deduction. Unai Emery’s side missed out on Champions League qualification to Newcastle United and, according to Maguire, will have to ‘box clever’ in the transfer market to avoid punishment.

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“Of the 20 Premier League clubs, Villa are the one we are most concerned about,” Maguire said. “Last season, when they did qualify for the Champions League, for every £100 of revenue they brought in, they spent £91 on wages. Those players will have had contract step-ups for qualifying for the Champions League.

“Villa did very well in that competition, so that will be a plus and they have sold some players as well last summer and in January. But there is still a perception that Villa will have to box clever and of all the clubs under pressure to sell before the 30 June, they are the ones that are given the most attention because their spending in the last couple of years before getting into Europe was so extensive.”

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