Newcastle United latest news: Tottenham Hotspur owner Daniel Levy has called on the Premier League to tighten some of their financial rules.
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Daniel Levy has called on the Premier League and football’s governing bodies to ‘control’ rules around Associated Party Transactions (APT) amid fears that it could give some clubs a competitive advantage. Manchester City have recently challenged the Premier League on their current APT rulings, with a trial scheduled for October.
Much has been made of the Premier League’s current financial rules, with their Profit and Sustainability Rules viewed as a way to stop the traditional ‘Big Six’ being challenged on a regular basis. Newcastle United and Aston Villa, both of whom have qualified for the Champions League in the last three seasons in place of those ‘Big Six’ clubs, have had their efforts in the transfer market stifled by PSR.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, both of whom finished in the lower reaches of the Premier League table last season, have outspent Villa and the Magpies this summer, with the spending of last season’s top four only likely to increase the gap between themselves and the chasing pack.
Daniel Levy reveals APT fears
Despite these rules currently preventing Newcastle United from spending lavishly in the transfer market like some of their Premier League rivals, Levy believes that more controls on finances are needed, particularly surrounding APT rules. Speaking on the Overlap with Gary Neville, Levy did not explicitly name Newcastle United or Manchester City in his reasonings for wanting tighter financial controls, but did reference ‘state owned’ clubs that could benefit from a ‘competitive advantage’ if APT rules are not tightened: “I think one of the biggest threats is related party sponsorship.
“I think that is the area that has to be controlled because if you end up having clubs that are owned by states, and I have no issue with that at all in principle, but they can do deals with themselves and that puts them at a very competitive advantage compared to everybody else. I think that is an area that has to be looked at.”
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He continued: “The original rule at the moment is being challenged, as we know, on related party transactions. I think that is an area of concern.
“It’s not just in the UK but in Europe, I think there should be a European rule that there should be some more detailed control over associated party transactions.”
Both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur will compete in the Champions League next season, with Newcastle’s fifth placed Premier League finish and Spurs’ Europa League win ensuring there will be six English teams in that competition next season. Both clubs will have to wait until the end of the month to find out who they will play in the league stage of that competition.
The Magpies, meanwhile, will be desperately hoping they can make some breakthroughs in the transfer market before then to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad in anticipation of their extra game load next season. The summer window closes at 7pm on Monday 1 September.