Newcastle United's 'biggest issue' revealed after SCR 'red herring' - Stefan Borson

Newcastle United have bigger financial concerns than Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) regulations during the 2026-27 campaign.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that concerns over SCR are just a "red herring" at St James' Park.

Newcastle's finances have been a major talking point recently, with the club selling several key stars, including Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.

The Magpies reinvest much of that money during the summer, though, signing several young players, likely with hopes of profiting in the future.

One signing that has yet to work out in the £51million deal for Matias Fernandez-Pardo. It is believed that Nick Woltemade's loan move to Juventus helped Newcastle afford the deal from an SCR perspective.

All signs point towards the German returning to Tyneside at the end of his loan, with the Old Lady already showing signs of not wanting to make the deal permanent.

Newcastle's UEFA settlement agreement is an 'issue'

However, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson does not believe that having both on the books next summer will cause any issues with SCR.

"I think the SCR thing is a bit of a red herring because, ultimately, if they're not in Europe, then they've got an SCR capacity of 85 per cent, plus potentially another 30 per cent," he said.

"So I don't really see that they're going to be particularly strained there. Their UEFA settlement agreement is the one that's the issue.

"But you would think the sales that they made and the profits that they made on that basis last summer will be sufficient to get them through the biggest issues.

"When we see their numbers next spring, then we'll be able to have a better assessment of where they are versus their targets under the settlement agreement.

"But I wouldn't think that they've got massive issues under, certainly not Premier League SCR right now."

Should Matthias Jaissle keep Nick Woltemade next summer?

After arriving on a record deal, many supporters thought Woltemade would be the perfect replacement for Alexander Isak.

Sadly, that didn't last long, with Eddie Howe often playing him out of position to accommodate other players and his tactics.

While Juventus are unlikely to sign him permanently, some of his performances have been very positive, including his latest against Celta Vigo in the Europa League.

Woltemade and Fernandez-Pardo playing off each other could be the perfect combination next season, and Jaissle might be able to get the best out of him.