Newcastle might have the richest owners in world football but they have to toe the line under Financial Fair Play rules just the same as every other club.
Were such rules not put in place by the Premier League, then the likes of the Magpies, Chelsea and Man City would just ride roughshod over the whole of the English top-flight, and things would get very boring very quickly.
Eddie Howe’s side have been cripple by injuries this season and it’s shown just how little strength in depth the manager has in his first-team squad.
Newcastle need to assess FFP this summer
In order to bring that up to an acceptable level and to get Newcastle into a position where they are genuine Premier League title contenders, they are going to have to spend a significant amount of money, and given the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, that’s not going to be as easy as it once might’ve been.
Indeed, there have been consistent suggestions that the club might have to sell a major player, and that was before Joelinton recently put pen to paper on a new deal which will keep him at the club until 2028.
“No decision has been made on whether Newcastle will need to sell a major player this summer because of Financial Fair Play,” Fabrizio Romano said to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing.
“This is something that Newcastle will discuss at the end of the season when the strategy – whether they’re in Europe or not – will be clear.
“Discussions will depend on multiple factors, but especially on how much they need to make as profit for FFP.”
Were it ultimately decided that players such as Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak or Anthony Gordon needed to be sold to balance the books, it puts Newcastle in an awkward position in terms of their aspirations.
One step forward and two steps back so to speak.
However, that’s when the supposed expertise of the sporting director should come into play.
Alongside Howe and Jason Tindall et al, that area of the club needs to have the finger on the pulse of player availability and cost etc., in order to be able to work together and still achieve consistency on the pitch.