August 1996; Newcastle United sign a world class striker for £15m, a world-record fee at the time, setting the benchmark for future transfers in world football; that man in question was Alan Shearer. In the summer transfer window of 2005, Newcastle broke their transfer record to bring Michael Owen to the club, another striker of enormous pedigree and with a goalscoring record second to none at the time. 10 years on, football has evolved and the modern transfer fee for a prolific goalscorer has sky-rocketed, and it isn’t uncommon to see many bids exceed £30m each Transfer Window. The question is; why won’t Newcastle United spend large sums of money, equivalent to their Premier League rivals, on players that will undoubtedly enrich the current playing squad.
Lack of Transfer Activity Despite Ashley’s “We are Able to Spend” Promise
The debate of Financial Fair Play and the pitfalls of frivolous spending is a sensible argument and there is no doubt that financial stability is the way forward, theoretically. However, when the policy of tight purse strings is having a detrimental effect on the club’s league position, it must be time to take action.
A player heavily linked with Newcastle United this summer has been QPR striker Charlie Austin. With a billed asking price of £15m, in today’s player market, it seems it is a reasonable price to pay for a proven Premier League goalscorer. It would be understandable that a club like Newcastle may be reluctant to spend £15m on a single player, but owner Mike Ashley’s net worth is estimated at US$5bn by Forbes Magazine. The SportsDirect.com tycoon isn’t short of a few pennies and Premier League owners with similar fortunes have been extremely spendthrift in recent years, seeing their sides soar to the right end of the table.
It is extremely frustrating for Newcastle fans to witness the club’s directors haggling with other clubs, in order to get a cheaper deal for a player, which often results in United missing out on their top targets.
Particularly telling is the figure that Newcastle have spent on strikers since Ashley’s takeover of the club, a woeful £26m in eight years. £6m of which was spent on notoriously goal-shy Xisco. With the financial muscle that owner Mike Ashley possesses, why must Newcastle United always strive to find the cheapest option, especially concerning strikers, arguably the most important player on the pitch.
This begs the question, will it all change this summer following the exclusive interview Mike Ashley gave prior to Newcastle’s final game of the 2014-15 season? In his interview, he stated “We’ve got the club on a very sound financial footing, we are able to spend”. Early transfer window activity has seen 18 of the 20 Premier League clubs sign at least one player, which leaves just Newcastle United and Crystal Palace without any new first team acquisitions, despite Palace being very close to completing the signing of Yohan Cabaye.
However, with a month still remaining before the 2015-16 season kicks off, it leaves Newcastle’s new-look Board of Directors; which includes Head Coach Steve McClaren and Chief Scout Graham Carr, plenty of time to add to the first team squad.
Ashley stepping down from the Board and taking a backseat with regards to football affairs should allow for greater freedom in the transfer market, but the Newcastle United faithful are still waiting patiently to welcome their first new signing of the summer. With names such as PSV Eindhoven playmaker Georginio Wijnaldum and RSC Anderlecht’s Serbian finisher Aleksandar Mitrovic also being heavily linked with the club for big money, the arrivals at Newcastle International Airport could be rather busy in the coming days.
It is hoped that the club will change its ways of recent times and delve into their deep pockets to purchase some high quality talent. Fees of £12m are not rare these days and a summer transfer outlay of £20m is standard protocol for many Premier League clubs, therefore Newcastle must spend to compete.
Nevertheless, the spending must be on attentively scouted and carefully selected players, of a standard that will only improve the team, as the glaring final league position of 15th in 2014-15 was rather dismal for a club of United’s stature, proving that quality additions are a necessity on Tyneside, and quality additions cost money.
