Published: 22:30, 24 January 2026 | Updated: 22:30, 24 January 2026

Eddie Howe says restrictive financial rules only sharpen his desire to ‘upset the status quo’, reminding Newcastle’s rivals that football is played on grass and not a spreadsheet.

Sunday’s meeting of Newcastle and Aston Villa underlines the difficulty that overachieving teams have in staying at the top, given the boundaries of Profit and Sustainability rules.

Both clubs are unable to invest to the degree of the traditional ‘Big Six’, despite qualifying for the Champions League in recent seasons and having owners with the means to inject significant capital.

Howe noted the Deloitte Football Money League, published this week, that has Newcastle in 17th place. Their annual revenue is £380million less than Liverpool, who were the highest Premier League club in fifth position.

But even allowing for that disparity, the Newcastle boss believes sound management can still beat financial assumptions.

‘I’m never a believer that finances should and can dictate the league table, although people much cleverer than me will say that the wage bill follows the league position,’ said Howe.