After falling down the Premier League table, Eddie Howe will be hoping for movement in the transfer window, with Sunderland up next in the Tyne-Wear derby on Saturday.
Newcastle United could see a significant transfer windfall this month, with former midfielder Ivan Toney potentially in the center of a £100 million tug of war between Arsenal and Chelsea.
The Brentford striker is poised to return to the club’s starting lineup this month after serving an eight-month ban for betting offenses. But it is unclear whether he will be at the Gtech Community Stadium by the end of January, with a number of elite clubs looking for a goalscorer.
If Toney does decide to make a move this winter, he will not be cheap. That may be good news for Eddie Howe and Newcastle, who, according to some accounts, are entitled to a large sell-on clause as a result of his sale to Peterborough United in 2018. The Magpies would appreciate any assistance they can receive, as FFP regulations are poised to limit United’s ability to make deals in the January window once again.
According to Sky Sports, Toney’s previous club Peterborough will earn 30% of any amount Brentford obtain for the England international, with Newcastle receiving 30% of that, effectively resulting in roughly a tenth of his transfer fee ending up in Newcastle’s bank account.
Given that Brentford head coach Thomas Frank previously rated Toney at £100 million, this is not a little sum. In the summer, the Danish coach stated, “£100m plus?… How much would you spend for a striker that assures you 20 goals or more? And this is 20 goals for a club in the middle of the standings. “What would he be capable of doing in a bigger club?”
That would give Newcastle an extra £9 million in FFP wiggle room, which might be crucial after a conservative approach in the early days of the January window. Up to now, Howe has played down the possibilities of a busy window on Tyneside, conceding that transfer plans remain ‘unclear’.
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