Jackie Broon

Aye, maybe there is some other reason that the company that the club used to develop STACK has been transferred from the club to the club's holding company, but I'm suprised none of the local 'journalists' have picked up on it, at least to say it's not what it looks like.

Like Adidas announcing a strategic partnership with Sela just after we get a kit deal twice the value of Villa's.

There are loopholes, like buying the club's assets (it looks like they might have already done that with STACK) and using loans.

Yeah, that's not our squad, just our current senior players. But, all of those keeprrs were registered last season.

I don't think we do, but Eddie seems to think so.

Current over 21 squad players, I assume Ashby and White will go on loan or not be included, that leaves us two spaces for the 25 man squad without additional outgoings.

Unless there are outgoings, or we buy players that are under 21, we only have two senior squad places left to fill.

We seem to be coming to the same point from different angles. I agree, but the only way for us to get there is by PIF making massive investment both through the front and back door.

It isn't really, Villa and West Ham have comparable revenue and the big six are miles ahead.

But they also have massive revenues and are in the closed shop of the big six, that's what gives them their value.

It's not a true valuation of the club, it's based on what PIF paid Staveley for her shares.

An investment needs to have potential to see a return. They (and the rest of the consortium) bought us for £305m, since them they have put in £442m via share issues, plus many millions more in related party sponsorships and commercial partnerships, and they're having to put in at least £35m per season just to keep us going. To break even right now they would need to sell the club for £800m, at least. We are miles behind the big six financially and aren't going to catch up without massive additional front and back door investment in the team and infrastructure, and it might not even be possible then with the financial restrictions. We're just not going to be that attractive to buyers. Before you point to the £1bn 'valuation' by Bloomberg, that was just taken from the amount PIF paid Staveley for each share, that is likely to have been a bit of a golden handshake and is not a true valuation of the club. The numbers just don't add up for us being an investment. If we were ever an investment we are a failed one that is hemorrhaging money and that a ruthless investor like PIF would be have already cut its losses on.

Yes, the UEFA squad cost rules include both wages and amortisation of transfer fees, so it would still be the case that we could significantly increase Isak's wages without a FFP impact under squad cost rules.

Yeah, the lad has done nothing wrong.

Also reports of them wanting £50m. Even at £40m, for a soon to be 29 year old with one year left on his contract? Good player but I can't see it, I think our name is probably just being used to motivate Spurs.

£50m for a 28 year old doesn't really seem to fit our profile.

They're toying with considering preparing an offer, but only if Frankfurt agree to sell him first.

I wonder if Eddie had been in charge of ins and outs at the time Ekitike left PSG he would already be an Newcastle player, and for £14m.

Fucking 4D chess from Liverpool. Liverpool "We'll bid £120m for Isak but only if you say you'll sell him." Us: "He's not for sale." Liverpool "alright, if you don't say that you'll sell him we'll toy with trying to buy both him and his potential replacement if you were to sell him, so you'd be properly fucked, if you say you will sell him and then we put in an offer and you sell him. Us: "He's not for sale."

It would have to be at a justifiable fair market value, the book value of the land and building is £13.4m and the turnover of the old STACK was about £9m a year, the St. James' STACK is likely to be making more than that. I don't know enough about business valuation to come up with a likely figure with any authority but I'd guess £30-50m?

Release clauses are there only when the players insist on them and are set as high as the club can get the player to agree too. They are intended to prevent players from getting trapped when they want to go and the club doesn't want to sell, not to set their value. Frankfurt are obviously a club that is happy to develop players and sell them on, it's not necessarily the case that they are going to refuse to sell below the release clause value.

After a bit more reading through the company information on companies house. Newcastle United Football Club Projects Limited - The company accounts state that the company purchased Strawberry Place for the STACK development and then leased it to the 'trading entity' Newcastle United Promotions Limited. Both companies were owned by the club. Newcastle United Football Club Projects Limited was transferred from the club to the club's holding company Pz Newco Holdings Limited on 27th June, but Newcastle United Promotions Limited is still owned by the club. So it possibly looks like the club has sold STACK to Pz Newco Holdings Limited but the club still own the trading entity, so the income still goes to the club. Does that sound right for anyone that knows better than me?

Those players would need to want to play in Saudi. Reportedly a few of our players have turned down moves to Saudi clubs.