Experts disagree on potential changes that could see Newcastle go on £300m spending spree

The word 'imminently' has a very different meaning in football it seems as if Newcastle United fans have been waiting for the 'imminent' outcome of Manchester City's Associated Party Transactions arbitration with the Premier League for days now.

It feels like not too long ago when the purchase of Marc Guehi was set to be announced by Newcastle 'imminently' - we're still waiting for that one, but I digress.

The outcome of Manchester City's fight with the Premier League over the policing of APTs is expected soon and if the club's case goes in their favour, that could be huge for Newcastle.

Should the Premier League be forced to roll back the currently rules which sees the Premier League scrutinising sponsorship deals between club owners and their connected businesses, it could swing open the door for PIF to bring in some big hitters with some hefty sponsorship deals. The training kit, ground and St James' Park all remain open to sponsorship and it feels like Newcastle have been holding off, waiting for the outcome of this case before pursuing deals.

Serena Taylor/newcastleunited.com

Dr Rob Wilson predicts a £300m spending spree for Newcastle if Man City win the case

However, football finance expert Dr Rob Wilson has told iNews that he could see Newcastle suddenly given a magic wand to get rid of their PSR issues and potentially spend around £300 million on players after agreeing a couple of big sponsorship deals with PIF-backed companies.

“If City win this APT case, and it allows APTs in the Premier League, then what we’ll see is some massive sponsorship deals signed almost immediately by Newcastle to boost their transfer budget for next summer. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if they spend over £300m on pure player transfers.”

Meanwhile, another expert, Stefan Borson has warned fans not to get carried away.

Stefan Borson has warned fans to exercise caution

Both experts spoke to iNews to give their opinion on what could happen next with Borson erring on the side of caution.

“I do wonder how much difference it is going to make.

“I’m not sure it will be monumental, maybe they will manage to make the argument certain rules or aspects are unlawful. Perhaps some of the latest amendments made in February went too far and those rules need to be deleted and future rules need to be more reasonable.

“But the idea that this case will lead to an abandonment of all types of APT or related party restrictions, I just don’t buy it.”

We're leaning more towards Borson's ideas being the likely outcome

Borson's view seems a lot more likely than just seeing the rules around APT being scrapped completely.

Clubs have already tried to do something similar with PSR as so many people can see that the Profit and Sustainability Rules are not fit for purpose, but the Premier League are too stubborn to just roll back on what they've created.

Hopefully, we'll get our answers soon and we can all start dreaming of a spending spree or crying into our morning coffee.