The Magpies have had to sell Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer in order to fund more investment in the squad
Former Newcastle United stars Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon
Former Newcastle stars Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon
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Newcastle United will never catch Premier League clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal with the current financial restrictions, according to former Spurs and England striker Darren Bent.
Despite the huge financial backing of Newcastle's Saudi-backed owners PIF, the club have not been able to spend as much as they would have liked in the transfer market due to financial fair play regulations.
While United have funds available, and have spent large sums since the takeover in 2021, they must grow revenue streams before they can truly compete with the established Premier League sides when it comes to transfer investment.
In the short-term, Newcastle have been forced to sell some of their top stars in order to stay on the right side of the rules, with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali departing this summer.
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Many have questioned the fairness of the regulations, which were designed to prevent clubs spending more than they could afford and risking their long-term future.
However, speaking on talkSPORT, ex-Sunderland striker Bent felt the rules have left clubs such as Newcastle hamstrung.
"For Newcastle and teams like that that have got? They get these big owners in, how are they ever expected to kind of make the strides forward?
"They're never going to catch a Man United or an Arsenal or a Chelsea. Yeah, you get a one-off season where they'll be fantastic and things go their way, but like kind of consistently, Newcastle won't be finishing in the top four if they keep losing their best players."
England hero and former Newcastle United player Stuart Pearce.
Former Newcastle United player Stuart Pearce.(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Former Newcastle and England defendere Stuart Pearce saw both sides of the debate, adding: "I see it from two sides. I see it from longevity of football clubs.
"I don't want to anybody coming into a football club and bankrolling the club and all of a sudden it's boom and bust, and they walk away, and all of a sudden the club are on their knees and dropping down the divisions, and maybe even go out of business, because I think of the fans.
"Probably because of my non-league background, I think of the fans. The clubs need to be there for the next 100 years or so.
"But the other side of that is, if people want to come in and put an investment into the club, I don't think they should be stopped."