The West Ham v Bournemouth incident that highlights Newcastle United’s uncharacteristic transfer window

As the lights were turned off at Darsley Park and Newcastle United’s quiet January window came to an end, the London Stadium was alive where West Ham hosted Bournemouth in a match that could greatly impact Newcastle’s hopes of qualifying for a European place. However, the more pertinent takeaway from the game was how different it could have looked had the January transfer window taken a different path.

With the cloud of FFP and PSR looming large over the window, Newcastle United were hamstrung in what business they could do during January. With Everton and Nottingham Forest falling foul of the rules, the Magpies were keen to avoid a similar fate and were very cautious in their approach to signings.

That meant that players such as Kalvin Phillips were unattainable during the window, even on a loan deal whilst Dominic Solanke, who would have set Newcastle back a sizable transfer fee, was never a possibility. Both players were on show at the London Stadium and made an immediate impact, albeit in vastly different ways.

The Hammers handed a debut to Phillips but he suffered a nightmare start when, just three minutes in, his tackle saw the ball fall kindly to an opponent to tuck home an opener. The unexpecting recipient of this gift? Solanke of course.

It was a moment that really resonated on Tyneside as Newcastle United fans watched two players that could have been wearing black and white, accidentally combine for a goal. And in previous times, Solanke and Phillips would have moved to Newcastle, but this year, PSR simply meant it was impossible.

PSR is far from a new thing, however, the Premier League’s renewed efforts to ensure it is properly enforced has made clubs stay within their guidelines and act cautiously in the market. Newcastle United are among the most affected teams because, despite having the resources to spend in January, these rules meant they were unable to do that.

As Newcastle stumble out of the daze of January and enter a crucial period of the season, they will hope that the restrictions placed upon them this winter haven’t impacted their dreams of a return to Europe.