Shocking details emerge of NUFC's transfer business compared to every other Premier League club
Now the window has closed for Premier League clubs at least, the shocking truth of the total lack of investment at Newcastle has become clear. Sky Sports released confirmation on the net spends of all 20 top flights clubs, with this graphic below…
We finished the window with a window PROFIT of over £21m – the lowest spend in the entire league. Watford were the only other side to make a profit but their figures include the massive sale of Richarlison to Everton, which came at a reported £40m+ fee. This, against the backdrop of another year of TV money coming in at £120m, makes a mockery of Ashley’s now infamous claim that he will back Rafa with “every last penny the club generates.”
The question of ‘where has the money gone Mike?’ has been going viral as the lack of spend has become clear to Newcastle fan groups like The Magpie Group and If Rafa Goes We Go. Well, the news this morning that Ashley buying House of Fraser for £90m could well be where the money has went, as it is has been clear for a long time Newcastle United and success on the field just isn’t a priority for our owner.
https://twitter.com/SteveBurn91/status/1027590264825819136
The spending power of not just the top six but the newly promoted sides makes Ashley’s frugal nature even more demoralising. Fulham spending more than £80m on some quality players and Wolves signing Portuguese internationals like Rui Patricio and Joao Moutinho means we are well and truly being left behind. As a comparison, it is worth remembering Newcastle have still not broken their transfer record from 2005 and our main striker was only signed on a loan deal. The rhetoric given to Rafa that we had to wait a full year to feel the benefit of the TV money was clearly just another lie published to keep fan unrest at bay.
It’s also worth noting that the likes of Aarons, Lazaar and Saivet could yet be sold or loaned as the European transfer window remains open, which would further reduce our wage bill after the sales of the likes of Mitrovic, Sels, Colback and Gayle. Ashley doesn’t want to even compete with the likes of Burnley and Huddersfield financially, never mind sides higher up the table. 17th is the target and with the least spend possible so he can use profit from NUFC to fund his other more lucrative business interests.
One slight glimmer of hope always remains that Ashley finally sells the club or we can drive him out. Until then, we can expect no investment – something just has to change.
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