Newcastle United 'regret' £140m summer transfer spend amid Financial Fair Play battle

Newcastle United may be regretting their summer transfer window spend as they struggle to replicate the heroics that took them into the Champions League last season.

That was the verdict of former Blackburn Rovers and Celtic striker Chris Sutton as he assessed the current situation at St James Park. After securing a top four finish last season, the Magpies spent around £140m during the summer as they prepared for a return to European football’s top table for the first time in two decades.

The vast majority of their spend went on Italy international Sandro Tonali, who made a handful of appearances for Eddie Howe’s side before being hit with a ten-month suspension for breaking betting regulations during his time with AC Milan.

Harvey Barnes has spent the majority of the season sat on the sidelines as is yet to make a serious impression following his £38m move from Leicester City and Gambian winger Yankuba Minteh is spending the season with Feyenoord after joining United in a £6m deal from Danish side Odense.

The Magpies also committed to a £30m deal for Chelsea youngster Lewis Hall after the Blues agreed to allow the England Under-21 international to move to Tyneside on loan. Only £31m signing Tino Livramento has made an impression as the versatile full-back has looked at home on Tyneside after making an immediate return to the Premier League following Southampton’s relegation into the Championship.

Newcastle’s summer spend has taken them close to their Financial Fair Play limits and that has caused some issues after injuries ravaged Howe’s squad during the first half of the season. A move for Kalvin Phillips has been mooted by Manchester City’s insistence on receiving a £7m loan fee for the England star has cast doubt over any deal.

New additions are required as Howe looks to move on from a challenging period in the season and help United push towards the European places. Sutton, a Premier League winner during his time with Blackburn, believes a return to the Champions League is ‘too big a stretch’ for Howe’s men as he questioned the summer transfer business conducted by the St James Park hierarchy.

He told BBC Sport’s Monday Night Club: “I've always admired the way Eddie Howe’s teams play and if I’m a Newcastle fan, I’m enjoying what I’m watching, albeit the results haven’t been there recently.

“I think maybe, we understand how the squad has been stretched, but maybe you could use that as a bit of an excuse when you lose that many games. think they’ll be fine this season but I think it’s too big a stretch for them to get into a Champions League spot, especially now with Eddie Howe coming out and saying hang on we need to hang fire in January.

“I just wonder with that whole situation, is there a regret at Newcastle that they could have planned things differently? Not just that one (Sandro Tonali) but putting all their eggs into one basket in spending big in the summer.”