Report: Newcastle 'out of the race' for 'unbelievable' player as FFP rules continue to squeeze

When I first started writing about Newcastle United full-time it was almost constantly writing good news and positivity.

This season, however, it's been almost entirely the opposite. Yes, we've had some good wins and the odd positive thing to shout about but mostly it has been a relentless slog of injuries, defeats, dodgy decisions and frustration in the transfer market.

So it brings me absolutely no joy to bring you even more negativity from the pages of The Sun who now claim that Newcastle are out of the running for Kalvin Phillips.

Newcastle United can't afford to loan Kalvin Phillips

It has always been a will they/won't they type of deal, but there was an air of positivity that we'd find a way to get it done in spite of Manchester City's shocking loan fee they're insisting on for the perennial benchwarmer once dubbed as 'unbelievable' by his former Leeds teammate, Jack Harrison.

Sky Sports

The Sun has now claimed that because of this fee and the current state of the club's finances in terms of closeness to the cap set by FFP restrictions, and they are restrictions rather than rules mind, Newcastle can now not afford to even loan Kalvin Phillips.

It's like Hamza Choudhury all over again.

Anti-FFP rant incoming

I thought I'd got all of the FFP anti-competitiveness ranting out of my system yesterday but it seems I've still got some left in me.

Newcastle United, 80% owned by the Saudia Arabia Public Investment Fund with a believed worth of around £550billion can't afford to LOAN a player for the remainder of this season.

That should never, ever be the case. The FFP rules need to be looked at. While I can sort of see why they've done it the way they have, giving everyone the same parameters to operate in to keep it a level playing field, the fact of the matter is, it's not a level playing field at all. The disparity between what clubs earn, where they were before the FFP laws came in and the difference in wealth of the owners renders the entire rule farcical.

Luton were never going to go out and sign prime Lionel Messi and bankrupt their club, but Newcastle, who could afford prime Lionel Messi can't buy him because Mike Ashley previously ran the club at net zero and now there's no room to operate within FFP constraints.

It's a ridiculous law put in place to put a wall up around the "Big Six" while trying to give the impression they're doing it to help the little guy. Now everyone has seen through it, it's time for it to go.

Can't afford a loan, man. As if.