Finance expert issues warning to Newcastle after Man City case settled with Premier League
Newcastle may not benefit in the way that they would have hoped after Man City settled a legal case with the Premier League.
That is the verdict of football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that the Magpies will still struggle to do battle with the Premier League’s wealthiest and most well-established sides.
Newcastle failed to sign the likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Benjamin Sesko, and a plethora of other players this summer.
Despite having some of the richest owners in the world, limitations on spending set by UEFA and the Premier League forced the Magpies to watch on as their targets chose instead to join the likes of Chelsea, Man United, and Liverpool.
The club did have some joy in the final days of the transfer window. Nick Woltemade joined Newcastle, whilst Yoane Wissa also arrived on deadline day, but the summer of 2025 was a frustrating one.
And whilst Man City’s settlement with the Premier League will open the doors for more lucrative sponsorship agreements, the North Eastern side will still be capped on their ability to generate revenue, and therefore spend on new players.
APT ruling will not help Newcastle break through as title-challenger
Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, Plumley explained that whilst Newcastle will likely benefit from the APT ruling, as their wealthy owners could agree more lucrative sponsorship deals, they would still struggle to break into the Premier League’s elite.
He said: “I think it helps along the journey.
“I’m probably not going to make myself too popular with Newcastle fans here, but I still think they’re still a long way off a title challenge.
“And even then, you put that down to the finances. this particular example, and again, we’ve seen their owners be very critical of PSR and APT stuff, as we would expect.
“If there’s going to be some flex on that for Newcastle, that’s ultimately going to benefit them; that might then enable them to go out and offer better terms to players, which ultimately might drive more talent in.
“But I think the reality of that also is you’ve also got to have a kind of continued period of sustained Champions League qualification and relative success in that competition, i.e. getting out of the league phase.
“You’ve also got to be pushing for that top four year on year, and it’s really tricky for Newcastle there to break into that, even now, because as we’ve seen this summer, their best striker, Liverpool, have snapped him up, and even then, you know, you still can’t compete with some of these biggest clubs right now.”
Newcastle set to offer Tino Livramento new contract
The Magpies’ frustrating summer had a few silver linings, namely, their ability to keep all but one of their star players.
And having fended off interest from Man City, Newcastle are preparing to offer Tino Livramento a new contract, Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider exclusively.
The young defender was seen as the ideal upgrade at right-back for Pep Guardiola‘s side, but remained at St. James’ Park this summer.