Dr Dan Plumley

Mon 28 February 2022 17:45, UK

Newcastle United are “worried” they are being lumped in with Man City when it comes to suspicions about financial misconduct.

So says finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about recent statements from Newcastle’s top executives.

Amanda Staveley told The Athletic last Saturday (26 February) that she “wants to be transparent about the way we [the club] do business.”

Her husband and PCP Captial business partner Mehrdad Ghodoussi added: “Did we plan to bring in a ‘dodgy’ deal for £100 million? Not at all.”

The top-flight passed new rules on related-party sponsorship last December in order to prevent clubs from artificially boosting their FFP status.

Newcastle and fellow gulf-state-owned Man City were the only Premier League clubs to lobby against the new measures.

City beat a Uefa ban in 2020 on the basis that their FFP breaches were time-barred, but they remain under investigation by the Premier League.

And Plumley argues that Newcastle may be concerned that they will be “tarred with the same brush” because of their eye-watering wealth.

“City have been targeted in this regard for a long time,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.

“We knew the Etihad-City deal was big at the time. So many other deals have happened in the meantime. Other clubs are asking, is this right?

“But we’re looking at this retrospectively in light of new rules, and it is always difficult to make that retrospective fit work.

“Newcastle are probably now worried that they are going to get tarred with the same brush as City because of their wealth.

“But we have previous to go off now and we know what rival clubs don’t want is a repeat of the City situation, i.e another challenge at the top of the table.”

City currently lead the Premier League, while a resurgent Newcastle are up to 14th.

The two sides meet for the second time this season on 7 May.

In other news, “worried’ pundit fears Dan Burn injury could relegate Newcastle United.