Newcastle United revenue challenge reality after Liverpool and Man United deals

The Magpies made huge strides on the pitch in the first years since the PIF-backed takeover, but are still some way behind the so-called 'Big Six' when it comes to money flowing into the club.

While United's Saudi-based owners have huge wealth, the club are unable to spend freely in the transfer market due to FFP, PSR and now the new squad cost rules, with spending regulated by the amount of income a club has.

Newcastle have made significanrt inroads, signing deals with the likes of adidas, Sela and new kit and training ground sponsor Knox Hydration, with more deals in the pipeline.

There has been talk of sponsorship of the Stack, while it feels inevitable that any potential new stadium would have some form of sponsorship involved, or indeed a new-look St James' Park could include a branded partner

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However, the true size of Newcastle's task has been put into perspective by two deals announced today.

Premier League rivals Liverpool have confirmed a new front-of-shirt sponsorship with Turkish Airlines worth more than £300m. From the start of the 2027-28 season, the brand will replace Standard Chartered on the front of the Liverpool shirts in a deal which is being touted as the most lucrative in Premier League history.

That deal is worth at least £60m per year. Newcastle's deal with Knox, while a significant step forward, is worth £60m in total over three years.

Manchester United have also announced a new sleeve sponsorship agreement with SumUp, a brand also linked with Newcastle. While official numbers have not been confirmed, it is expected to be higher than their previous sleeve deal with DXC Technology, which was worth around £20m per season.

Newcastle signed a training kit branding deal with SumUp last month, which sees their logo on the front of training and pre-match wear, working £5m per season, £15m over the course of a three-year deal.

The Magpies have made great strides but the Man United and Liverpool deals only serve to highlight the headstart those elite clubs already have.

They are worldwide brands with the global fanbases and international audiences, meaning they can command huge mark-ups on sponsorship deals.

Newcastle can do little about that, but it further underlines the damaging impact PSR restrictions have on their development.

Talk of organic growth feels futile in the face of the astronomic deals those already at the top table can strike, so it seems a double whammy for Newcastle, Aston Villa and indeed any other ambitious club, to see their spending restricted.

Brand exposure in competitions such as the Champions League will help Newcastle's bid to strike better deals, but when they are forced to sell their best players every few seasons, it can feel like a vicious circle they will struggle to escape from.

The future at Newcastle remains incredibly bright, with a firm commitment to continue to invest in the club by the owners - the new training ground development at Woolsington is evidence of that.

But any thought of closing the financial gap on those ahead needs to be tempered by the fact the likes of Liverpool, Man United, Arsenal and Co will only continue to get richer.

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