Newcastle United ‘desperation’ revealed by Gary Neville as clubs target multi-million windfall

Aston Villa’s 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday evening could prove to be a huge result in the race for Champions League qualification. The Magpies could only watch on as all of their rivals won at the weekend in results that have again compressed the league table.

A clash against Ipswich Town at the weekend offers them a chance to put that result right and give themselves something to build on in May when they play their final four games of the season. A top-five finish will be enough for Champions League football this season, but with five teams, separated by just three points, aiming for just three places - it is set to be a dramatic finish.

Gary Neville’s Newcastle United and Champions League admission

Speaking to Peter Drury on the Gary Neville podcast, the former Red Devils defender was asked for his view on the current Champions League qualification race - revealing that clubs like Newcastle United and Aston Villa will be ‘desperate’ to qualify for not just footballing reasons, but for financial reasons as well: “The Champions League has always been big,” Neville said.

“But because of PSR now and the financial sort of position that a lot of these clubs find themselves in, we know that Villa and Newcastle and other clubs are under pressure with these £60-£70million Champions League pots that come their way. It’s become almost huge. It’s incredible, really. Sad in some ways, this desperation to get in there.

“I think a lot of the clubs are dependent on it. It’s unthinkable that (Manchester) City wouldn’t be in the Champions League and I think they will get into there.”

Newcastle United’s Champions League destiny is still in their own hands - and they will have more than one eye on tonight’s clash between Villa and City at the Etihad Stadium. A win for City would give Newcastle an opportunity to increase their lead over the Villains to five points when they face Ipswich Town on Saturday.

A win for Villa tonight, could see a four point gap open up between Newcastle and Pep Guardiola’s side at the weekend. A draw would see the Magpies drop to fifth place but with the chance to reclaim third spot at the weekend.

Champions League financial rewards

Newcastle United’s participation in the 2023/24 Champions League netted them just-shy of £30m - according to the accounts they submitted earlier this year. In that, the Magpies won just once against PSG and were dumped out of the competition at the group stage.

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However, a revamped and reformatted Champions League competition now means that figure will almost certainly increase next season. There is a guaranteed four home games in the league stage, as opposed to three in the previous format, and with just eight teams exiting the competition at the first stage, there is a higher chance of progressing to the knockout rounds.

Aston Villa’s efforts in this season’s competition will reportedly earn them around £70m - more than double what the Magpies earned for their efforts in last year’s competition.

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