Eddie Howe warns Financial Fair Play rules could limit Newcastle spending

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe during their Premier League match against Everton at St. James’ Park, Newcastle on Wednesday. (Reuters)

• The Magpies have spent more than $225 million in the last two transfer windows
• Newcastle have conceded just nine goals, one better than any of the other top performers

NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe has warned that Financial Fair Play regulations makes PIF’s Newcastle United spending spree “unsustainable.”
The Magpies have spent more than $225 million in the last two transfer windows on the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak. And while Howe welcomes that approach, he is of the understanding that Financial Fair Play — which is a metric based largely on financial losses compared to commercial revenue — will eventually mean that, without Champions League football, United will have to curb their spending.
“I do think it’s unsustainable. Financial Fair Play, I know, is mentioned a lot, but that will guarantee it. We have to be mindful of that fact. That is where we need to improve all aspects of the football club to make sure we don’t have to go into the transfer market and spend that money,” said the Magpies’ head coach, ahead of the club’s visit to Tottenham Hotspur.
“Can we produce more of our own players? Can we improve everything we deliver so we are not so reliant on huge transfer fees? Because it is going to be very difficult for the future for all clubs to spend that kind of money on a consistent basis.”
Early season success — United have lost just once in their opening 12 games of the campaign — has led many to point toward the Magpies making a challenge for the Premier League’s established top six: Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
When asked about the question of taking on the “big six” as well as the issues with FFP, initially, at least, Howe said: “I’d love to think so. They have a level of understanding. I’m sure they do. It’s a difficult one for me to comment on. Dan has made that comment. Obviously I take my information from him so we go into the next window knowing it will be very different from the last one. No two windows are the same. We know we will have to control that spending, for sure.
“I just look at the next game and think we need to try and win it and then let the season take care of itself.”
In the opening 11 Premier League games, United have been the most miserly of all the top flight backlines.
Newcastle have conceded just nine goals, one better than any of the other top performers.
On social media, United celebrated yet another clean sheet at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night with a picture of the Newcastle back five — Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Fabian Schar and Sven Botman.
“I did see the picture actually and it was a really nice moment, capturing that feeling you have as a defender,” said Howe, a former central defender himself.
“That is what you are playing for and sharing that success with people around you, who you have competed with against a really tough opponent. It’s that feeling of elation in the picture. It’s a really nice moment. I’d also like to mention the guys around those players in training — the defensive group we have is very good.”