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Half a million in wages a month paid by Newcastle United to players no longer at club – Report

1 year ago
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Many examples of the shocking situation the new Newcastle United owners inherited from Mike Ashley, have been well documented.

Sadly, it will take significant time to totally get beyond this state of affairs.

To get to a point where it is simply a case of needing to look at ways to further progress the club, as opposed to having to spend so much time AND cash in dealing with the Ashley legacy.

An interesting exclusive on Wednesday from The Telegraph has added another to the Newcastle United list of inherited problems.

It is an issue that most of us were aware of BUT now The Telegraph have put a figure on it.

This summer saw a superb effort from Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth, backed by the new Newcastle United owners, in terms of evolving the first team playing squad.

As well as bringing players in, the reality was that so many existing NUFC players had to find new homes.

So many Newcastle United players who simply aren’t Premier League level.

The current NUFC hierarchy managed the almost impossible, as by the end of the transfer window they were able to name a 25 man official Newcastle United Premier League senior squad, with only keeper Mark Gillespie finding himself still getting paid but not having a place in the club’s PL squad, the only players (plus those who count as Under 21s such as Elliot Anderson) allowed to play in league games until changes may be made when we get to the January transfer window.

However, it has come at a price.

The Telegraph revealing that their information is that over one hundred thousand pounds a week (around half a million a month) is still paid by Newcastle United in wages, to players no longer at club.

If you recall, the final stages of Mike Ashley’s ownership saw him appoint Steve Bruce and especially the last year or so of their dynamic ownership, saw them give an incredible number of new contracts to players who clearly shouldn’t have got them. Instead of bringing in the better quality players needed, instead Mike Ashley (with Steve Bruce very publicly backing him up) handed out crazy extension after crazy extension, some of them for a serious number of years that made zero sense.

The net result of this, is that the new (current) Newcastle United set up had to bite the bullet and do the necessary to get as many of these players out of St James’ Park as possible.

The Telegraph saying their information is that these were amongst the deals Newcastle United did in the summer, when it came to agreeing to pay part of the wages on players, in order to ensure they got new clubs (rather than staying at Newcastle United and getting paid for nothing without a place in the NUFC Premier League official squad):

Amongst the player examples the report quotes…

Dwight Gayle – Newcastle United paying £40,000 every week of his £60,000 wages, Stoke City accountable for only £20,000 per week.

Jeff Hendrick – Newcastle paying vast majority and Reading ‘only a tiny fraction’ of his £50,000 a week wages (rather than a contract extension, this one was an atrocious Ashley / Bruce signing, somehow agreeing a four year deal at more than £2m per season wages, for a player who never looked good enough for the Premier League).

Isaac Hayden – Norwich City paying only around £20,000, with Newcastle United paying the vast majority of his £50,000+ a week wages.

Ciaran Clark – Newcastle United still paying around two thirds of his £40,000 a week wages now at Sheffield United.

In my opinion, we still have a number of Newcastle United players still at the club, who fall into the same category, in particular, Jacob Murphy and Matt Ritchie. However, the club hierarchy not able to move everybody out in one go, who aren’t Premier League level now, or who never were.

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