Jamie Reuben has dismissed the ‘expectation’ that PIF will push for superstar signings, while explaining what our long-term FFP plan is and how that compares to the likes of Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool.
Our transfer strategy in the last 18 months has never been to pursue huge names – the likes of Botman, Bruno and Isak were all young up-and-coming talents from Europe who were unproven in England.
Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, our co-owner insisted that acquiring big name players such as Neymar and Mbappe was never our plan, despite it being an ‘expectation’ in the media.
“I think there was that expectation. I think the problem with that expectation is not what we’ve communicated, that this was a long-term investment strategy.
“Secondary, we were second bottom of the league (when new owners first arrived) and the only team in English football as of December last year not to have won a game.”
After spending over £200m since the takeover, Newcastle will be limited by FFP in what we can spend this summer, but Reuben has confirmed we will ‘play by the rules’ and increase commercial revenue, insisting they are ‘long-term investors’ who can’t compete financially ‘just yet’ with some of the Premier League’s ‘big six.’
“It’s a correlation of what your goals and ambitions are. So if you want to elevate the team, we’ve seen transfer prices keep going up so it costs money to bring in players.
“It seems like that will continue to go up, there might be blips but that seems to be on an upward track.
“In order to meet Financial Fair Play, which we’re adamant we’re going to do, we’re going to play by the rules.
“We’re long-term investors, you need to invest in your stadium, you need to invest in your infrastructure, you need to invest in other non-footballing parts of your business to get the commercial revenue up in order to financially invest on the pitch and elevate your status which is a longer-term plan.
“Especially with some of the other clubs, you’ve seen the amounts they’ve spent. Financial Fair Play means we can’t do that just yet, and so we have to make sure our pound really has to go further than a Manchester City, a Chelsea, or a Liverpool.”
As we’ve seen with Chelsea, money doesn’t automatically guarantee success and there must be a good structure in place to do well, but the 36-year-old has backed the Blues to come back stronger next season.
“They’re both friends of mine and off the field I definitely wish them the best. They’ve definitely brought in some very, very good players. It’s a shame it hasn’t worked out for them, but it can. It can next year.
“They’ve definitely brought in some very high-quality players and you know what? It can change on a dime. Last year, we were fighting relegation. This year, we’re pushing towards a Champions League space.
“So next year, I wouldn’t be totally surprised to see Chelsea pushing on, and it can change very quickly. They’ve spent a lot of money, and those sort of sums would be difficult for us.”
Jamei is as bad as Howe in putting a damper on hopes on new top of the hill players coming to ST James Park
thomas robson(Quote)