Former Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow believes financial rules should not prevent wealthy owners from improving clubs – but fears they are doing exactly that after Newcastle’s January struggles.
Purslow, who was also previously a managing director at Liverpool and Chelsea, felt it was a ‘seismic moment’ when Eddie Howe announced in the first week of January that Newcastle United had to sell players to buy.
He questioned how it had come to this given the wealth of the Saudi PIF; who he describes as ‘highly ambitious’ owners determined to ‘challenge the elite establishment.’
The 60-year-old says it ‘just feels wrong’ that wealthy owners are forced to sell for ‘sustainability’ reasons so soon after a takeover; especially when the ‘big six clubs’ are likely to benefit, as Man City did when Aston Villa were forced to sell Jack Grealish for FFP reasons.
“When Eddie Howe said in the first week of January that we’re going to have to sell players if we want to buy players, that was a seismic moment for the average football fan like me,” he told talkSPORT. “I was thinking, ‘Hold on. This club is owned by impossibly wealthy owners who are highly ambitious.’
“We have seen what they have done in golf. They didn’t buy Newcastle to be a mid-table side. They want to try and challenge the elite and the establishment. They have got the money. There’s no question of sustainability when they are using real cash yet they are having to sell players ironically, probably, to the big six clubs who benefit from that.
“That just feels wrong. We shouldn’t be using these rules to prevent really well-funded new owners restructuring and improving clubs in the period after a takeover.”
Money has threatened to ruin football in recent times, but so could FFP if it stops any contender – like Newcastle or Aston Villa – from unsettling the big six establishment.
FFP by definition has to be challenged in law as it favours those who have already established their position at the top of the tree, it therefore cannot be fair.
We see in everyday life that the law is an *** and this is just another example, hats off to Christian Purslow!
Joseph(Quote)
Seriously needs to be challenged now why is football the only business owners cannot invest in there own business
Darren Bebb(Quote)
Everton broke the ffp rules and yesterday it was decided that the penalty for doing so is a six point deduction.
Appears to me that our Saudi owners can go out and spend as much as they want for top players on top wages and just take the six point deduction .
Sidekick(Quote)