Dr Dan Plumley

Mon 30 May 2022 17:25, UK

Newcastle United could recruit the best behind-the-scenes talent in football without worrying about Financial Fair Play.

That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Magpies spending power under the new ownership regime.

The Times reported last Saturday (28 May) that Newcastle’s non-playing staff are to be handed a pay rise for the first time in several years.

The Premier League’s current FFP rules allow clubs to lose no more than £105million over a rolling three-year period, and all salary costs count towards the quota.

But Uefa’s new profit and sustainability system, which will be phased in from next month, instead limits clubs to spending 70 per cent of turnover on wages and transfers.

But crucially, only player and manager wages count towards the threshold, and the Premier League is expected to mirror Uefa’s regulations imminently.

Plumley explains that Newcastle could use the new system to pay big wages to non-playing staff and gain a strategic edge without violating FFP.

“This is potentially one way to get around FFP,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.

“If you look at the makeup of the backroom staff, Liverpool are the gold standard. They look at data, sports science, and psychology. The list is endless.

“In a sport where the margins are so fine, it can really pay off if you can get an edge in this area. If you have the best minds and the finest talent in football, you can make gain behind the scenes.

“Of course, everything needs to be streamlined and the culture needs to be right, and the commercial team and the finance team can grow too.”

The Athletic reported last Friday (27 May) that the Magpies have reopened talks with Brighton over a compensation fee for Dan Ashworth.

The respected director of football left the Amex in February.

In other news, pundit suggests Newcastle United about to pay £45m for “£30m player” after transfer update.