UEFA rules block Aston Villa transfer after £39m Newcastle United agreement
Aston Villa couldn’t proceed with a deal to sign Newcastle United striker Will Osula - here’s why.
Newcastle United striker Will Osula was denied a deadline day move to Aston Villa due to UEFA spending rules.
Following the £69million club-record signing of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart and Yoane Wissa’s expected £55m move from Brentford, the Magpies granted permission for Osula to leave.
As per Mail Online, Newcastle held talks with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt over a £30million transfer, which included a buy-back clause.
However, a deal failed to materialise, and Osula will now stay on Tyneside as fourth choice striker behind Woltemade, Wissa and Anthony Gordon.
UEFA spending rules stop Aston Villa from securing Will Osula transfer
The Magpies had agreed a deal with Aston Villa for Osula earlier in the day but were unable to proceed with the transfer due to UEFA spending rules.
And it came as a result of Villa doing transfer business with Newcastle earlier in the window when they sold academy graduate Jacob Ramsey for £39m to help combat Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and UEFA squad cost rules.
Villa selling Ramsey to Newcastle and then buying Osula would have been viewed as a swap deal in the eyes of UEFA, as outlined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
Ornstein said: “They were pursuing Osula from Newcastle as a potential loan, I don’t know if it had an option or obligation because Newcastle wouldn’t have been interested in a straight loan.
“But they weren’t really able to proceed on it Villa because it would have been characterised under UEFA accounting methods as being like a swap. And by that, I mean a player has already gone from Villa to Newcastle and that was Jacob Ramsey for a significant profit.
“UEFA would have seen it as a trade-off, even though we might see them as independent deals, and they then would have amended downwards the profit that Aston Villa had gained from that transfer.
“And that basically stopped Villa from doing the Osula deal because they cannot afford to lose the profit from an accounting perspective that they gained from the Ramsey transfer.”
Aston Villa captain gutted at Jacob Ramsey’s departure
Ramsey came through the academy system at Villa and was a popular member of the squad. His departure sparked a big reaction from John McGinn, who hit out at the financial rules.
“A perfect example of how an academy player should handle the transition to the first-team,” McGinn wrote on Instagram. “Always humble, respectful and willing to learn. It’s been a privilege to share the dressing room with you and enjoy some special moments together on the pitch.
“A sad day losing a top player and person and one of our own but it seems to be the way football is set up these days! All the best JJ @jacobramseyy 💜”
McGinn’s teammate Tyrone Mings later had his say and wrote: “Don’t wanna hear any bad words or anything negative on his name. You don’t know the half. Til the bitter end lil bro. Go and smash it @jacobramseyy”.