The summer transfer window slamming shut came as a relief to many when the clock struck 7pm last night.
Newcastle were able to get Yoane Wissa over the line to restore the clubs full complement of strikers once more. However, another striker looked almost destined to join Aston Villa before UEFA rules complicated a deal beyond redemption.
As reported by David Ornstein, Aston Villa were advancing on a deal to sign Will Osula until UEFA accounting rules blocked the deal from progressing hours before his rumoured switch to Frankfurt then fell through.
According to UEFA, Newcastle’s acquisition of Jacob Ramsey in the opposite direction on August 17th meant Osula’s move would have been considered a swap, rather than two independent deals.
Ornstein attempted to explain this deadline day issue for both clubs, saying:
“Aston Villa weren’t able to proceed on a deal for William Osula, because it would’ve been characterised under UEFA’s accounting methods as being a ‘swap’ after Ramsey joined Newcastle.
“UEFA would’ve seen it as a trade-off, not independent deals. They would’ve amended downwards the profit Villa made on that transfer”
The UEFA rules in question are in place to prevent clubs working around accounting restrictions, where the book profit of a player is accounted for in the current fiscal year and a purchase is amortised across several.
This can result in an accounting only profit for the current year, which is what UEFA are aiming to clamp down on.
Newcastle have conducted similar deals before, namely the sale of Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forrest with Vlachodimos heading to St James in two separate transactions.
Osula will now remain at Newcastle for the foreseeable, acting as a back-up option behind new strikers Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa.
Regardless of the small print of rules, it would have been madness to let Osula go without signing a replacement. Our two goalscoring signings are excellent (forget the price tags for a moment) but one goes away for a good stretch, leaving no cover at all if Osula wasn’t on the books (I’m not saying he’s great, I’m saying he’s better than fresh air or a kid).
Dodged a foolish bullet. What a pig’s ear we’ve made over strikers this window, we’ve only squeaked out of it by paying an enormously ridiculous price for a 29 y-o (birthday tomorrow, I believe). What a joke the “sell-on” clause is! Brentford add insult to injury!
davewallace(Quote)
Had Osula gone then barring serious injury we could have brought in a third striker in January to cover the ACON, and still might.
PremAndUp(Quote)