Newcastle United moved on a number of peripheral figures in the recent window, albeit with PIF having taken a hit after sanctioning those loan exits, in particular, with the Magpies still having to fork out to pay those players’ wages.
As per the Telegraph, the Tynesiders are reportedly still paying a large chunk of defender Ciaran Clark’s £40k-per-week salary, despite the Republic of Ireland international having joined Sheffield United on a temporary deal over the summer.
The report suggests that the Blades are contributing just a third of the centre-back’s wages at present, with Newcastle having had to agree to such poor a deal in order to try to tempt potential suitors into making a move.
That has ensured that the 33-year-old remains a financial burden for the club, having roughly cost around £12.5m in wages since his arrival from Aston Villa back in 2016, with the northeast side having agreed to a £5m fee to prise him from the Midlands outfit at the time.
That has proven an expensive signing for a player who has rarely convinced during his time at St James’ Park, having simply made “too many mistakes” over the past six years, in the words of pundit Noel Whelan.
The former Villa man had notably been part of a “fragile” backline at the start of last season – as described by Whelan – although quickly found himself out of the side following the appointment of current boss Eddie Howe, with a red card early on in the draw with Norwich City back in November seemingly proving the final nail in the coffin, as he went on to feature only once for the club in the top-flight in 2022.
That lack of action had also been caused by his omission from Howe’s 25-man Premier League squad for the second half of last term, with the arrival of Dan Burn having shunted the 36-cap dud even further down the pecking order.
Thankfully as far as the club is concerned, the £1.08m-rated man – who has made 129 appearances for the Magpies to date – will soon not be their concern with just under a year left on his existing deal, having only featured twice in the second tier thus far during his time at Bramall Lane due to injury.
It will, however, be a frustration for PIF to see him still raking in a fairly hefty salary to not even be playing at present, with Clark having truly become something of a wage burner in recent times.
