It could be one down, five to go in the “big six” conversation - and Newcastle United must be ready to pounce on Manchester City’s demise.
Only one story is dominating the football world during the three-week international break. And no, it is not Newcastle United unveiling a new club crest.
Manchester City are under the pump. Guilty. One of the most long-winded disputes in sporting history has resulted in the Premier League claiming an overwhelming victory.
Is this the end of the road? Absolutely not. Things could be about to get nasty, with City strenuously - some would argue delusionally - doubling down on their innocence.
We have launched a new NUFC YouTube channel to bring the latest Newcastle United news and analysis.Click this link and subscribe to NUFC Press Box.
But barring a successful appeal, the club will likely never compete in the same stratosphere again. Punishments ranging from points deductions to total expulsion have been suggested among rival fans and pundits.
Whatever the outcome, the Magpies will be waiting on the wings to pounce. The traditional “big six” is almost certainly no more. It will be a case of one down, five to go for Newcastle if, as expected, Man City face an unprecedented, club-crippling punishment.
Champions League qualification will automatically become easier. While Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have slumped in recent years, City have been the unstoppable force of English football for the past decade.
They have been the benchmark. The team everyone else has had to chase. Remove that obstacle - or even weaken it significantly - and the landscape changes.
Newcastle are just as frustrated as anyone at the current financial governance. In some regard, Man City acted as the big brother in the failed attempt to stop the Associated Transaction Party rules.
The perception on takeover day almost five years ago was that Newcastle would follow City’s trajectory. Only they operated within the rules. Man City obliterated them.
Stay in the know with St James’ Park’s biggest stories and sign up for our FREE Newcastle United newsletter
The wider argument about SCR restrictions will remain. It is not just City and Newcastle that have been frustrated. Everton and Nottingham Forest felt hard done by when they suffered points deductions in the 2023-24 season.
Rightly or wrongly, the Manc City saga is a consequence of the rulebook - and the way multi-billion-pound enterprises have sought to navigate it. They must now take their medicine - but clubs may seek a compromise to overhaul SCR to ensure this never happens again.
The scale of the story that will send ripples through the Premier League for years to come. As for Newcastle, the shot-callers inside St James’ Park - namely David Hopkinson given his 2030 vision - should be smelling blood.