Newcastle vs Aston Villa: Eddie Howe is out to shake up the status quo

Head coach Eddie Howe thinks so Newcastle United He can still achieve ‘great things’ despite the constraints of financial rules as his side look to upset the status quo in the Premier League.

Clubs that spend the most on wages traditionally score the most points per match.

But Newcastle and rival Aston Villa on Sunday have bucked the trend in recent years with the eighth and sixth biggest wage bills in the top flight respectively.

Newcastle qualified for the Champions League in 2023 and 2025, while Aston Villa followed in 2024.

Both are aiming to do so again this season and Howe’s men could move up to fourth place with a win over third-placed Villa if results elsewhere go their way.

The Newcastle coach said: “People smarter than me will say that the wage bill follows the league table, but I can’t think that way.”

“We have to think differently and find ways to keep winning games to shake up the status quo and finish the season on the highest level possible.

“That will always be my belief, and it has been my belief since day one in management. Football is played on the pitch – not with money.”

It is worth noting that Newcastle’s net spending on new signings last summer was more than £100m, but they sold star striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a record British transfer fee of £125m.

Targets such as Hugo Equitiki, Joao Pedro, James Trafford and Benjamin Sisko also chose to join Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United respectively rather than move to St James’ Park.

Although Newcastle is majority owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), legacy clubs – including Arsenal and Tottenham – have the ability to spend more within the rules due to their superior income streams.

Analysis by financial firm Deloitte revealed that Liverpool generated £367m more in revenue than Newcastle last season, and Howe recognizes his side have a “long way to go” on that front.

He added: “I know people get bored of us talking about it, but it is a reality.” “Building our revenue is going to be very important, and I know there is a lot of work behind the scenes to do that.

“I’ve always had the belief that, no matter what situation you’re in, you’ve got to try to exceed your resources. You’ve got to try to overachieve. You’ve got to squeeze every ounce of energy and effort out of the team you have.”

“We believe we can still achieve great things – regardless of the financial constraints placed on us.”

The team’s total costs for the 2026-2027 league season will be limited to 85% of the club’s revenues, while teams competing in Europe will have to adhere to the maximum limit set by UEFA of 70%.