Mike Ashley increased commercial revenues at Newcastle United by just £300,000 over 14 years.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has praised Newcastle United for boosting the club’s commercial revenue.
The Magpies raked in a staggering £120.4million from sponsorships and other advertising streams. For context, this is a £92million increase from Newcastle’s figures for 2019-20 - the final year of Mike Ashley’s ownership.
A damning statistic is how the Sports Direct tycoon boosted Newcastle’s commercial income by just £300,000 during his 14-year reign. Adjusted for inflation, this left the Magpies behind the curve when PIF bought the club.
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Kieran Maguire on Newcastle United good news
Speaking to talkSPORT, monetary guru Maguire laid bare just how much Ashley’s tenure left Newcastle chasing the pack. He said: “The stuff to get encouraged about is that the commercial side of Newcastle United, which effectively went into a state of deep freeze during the Mike Ashley era, has been addressed.
“They made £123million from the commercial activities under Ashley that never got higher than £28million. The new Adidas deal has proven to be very popular with fans. They've managed, on the back of qualifying for the Champions League, to sign new deals with sponsors and commercial partners, the one area of the club which is the easiest to influence and control and grow.
“So that's the really good news. The wage bill, given that Newcastle United weren't in for the Champions League, the fact that it went up by 11 per cent, that's indicative of players coming in on enhanced contracts, which is sort of tying down talent. Again, I can look at that from a positive point of view.”
Now the Newcastle United bad news…
As for the negatives, Maguire highlighted Newcastle “selling” St James’ Park to themselves to comply with PSR pressures. He noted how UEFA, unlike the Premier League, will not take the loophole into account - putting the Magpies at risk of a hefty fine.
“The less good bits was that the overhang from the summer of 2024 that meant Newcastle United were only able to spend £40million recruiting players in 2024-2025,” Maguire added. “They were fully aware of the dangers of PSR and how it effectively ties one hand behind the back of the clubs in terms of its ambition.
“And then the ugly… the sale of St James' Park to a newly set up company, perfectly within the rules, although it won't be allowed for UEFA purposes. So whether there'll be any overhang from a UEFA point of view, we'll have to wait and see.
“This particular loophole has now been prohibited. But the rules have changed after the sale was made. It will have no impact whatsoever on the new cost control rules, which come into being for the 2026-27 season.”
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