Player chats could give broadcasters extra value Club could lay a they hang on to
EX-ACADEMY MAN THINKS MAGPIES MUST SECURE DEALS
THE Premier League could allow broadcasters to interview players mid-game when football returns.
The idea is to make sure that no broadcast money needs to be repaid by Premier League clubs by giving the television companies something extra for their money.
Matches without fans are believed to be deemed less attractive to viewers at home, so the broadcasters are concerned viewing figures could be down as a result of football returning behind closed doors.
Interviewing substitutes could be a way around that, claim The Telegraph in a new report published on Saturday afternoon.
Only around half of the remaining 92 matches are set to be televised in the UK as it stands, though it is hoped that more games will be screened when football does return.
Broadcasters are likely to demand that Premier League clubs give back nearly £800million if the season is not played to a finish.
The report also goes on to claim that the Premier League have told its clubs that they need to provide “additional content” for the broadcasters and have described it as “critical”.
While in the same report, it is claimed that some matches might be screened on terrestrial television, although Sky Sports and BT Sport are both still to agree to the move.
The Premier League is also considering staggering kick-off times with games played at 12pm, 2pm, 4.30pm and 7pm on Sundays and all televised.
These ideas are expected to be presented to the clubs in a meeting which The Telegraph claims will take place May 18.
The Premier League once again reaffirmed their stance that they are aiming to complete the 2019/20 season when it is deemed safe to do so on Friday afternoon.
Senior officials from the game met on Friday to discuss how best to approach the current Covid-19 pandemic.
All professional football in England has been indefinitely suspended since mid-march and it remains unclear at this moment in time when the season will return.
However, clubs are believed to be working towards restarting on June 8, with all remaining matches expected to be played at neutral venues.
NEWCASTLE United would prove there is a pathway from the academy to the first team if they manage to keep hold of Sean and Matty Longstaff.
That’s the view of former academy teammate Kyle Cameron, and the centre-back believes new deals would be beneficial for both parties in the long term.
The future of both Longstaff brothers on Tyneside remains the subject of speculation, with Matty’s deal currently set to expire in the summer and numerous clubs reportedly set to swoop.
United are currently holding off on any contract meetings at this stage with the future of the season still in doubt.
Negotiations also remain at a deadlock for older brother Sean, who is currently committed to the club until 2022 following a breakout season under former boss Rafa Benitez.
Cameron spent more than a decade at United, but was released in the summer of 2018 without making a first-team appearance in black and white.
The former Scotland under-21 international played alongside Sean at academy level, and believes new deals for both brothers is hugely “important” for both the club and the players.
Cameron said: “I don’t think it’s just important for the club, it’s important for their development as well.
“They are getting opportunities in the
first-team environment in the Premier League. You’ve seen numerous players in the past at different clubs play well a few times, and then they’ve moved on and they start losing their way a little bit.
“I think it’s important for the club to keep hold of them and keep showing there is a chance for local lads to play if they’re good enough.
“When you want to entice players to the academy at a young age, you want to show them there is a pathway there if you do your job really well.
“They are big parts of the first team as well, and it would save the club money having to buy players in their position.
“They are good players and they’ve got a lot of attributes that would cost a lot of money in this day and age.”
Cameron – who is now a first-team regular at National League side Torquay United – has heaped praised on both Longstaff brothers for making the step up to first-team level.
The 23-year-old believes the academy graduates from North Shields already boast attributes which mean they serve as the perfect example for other aspiring local footballers hoping to make the grade.
Cameron explained: very good footballers.
“Very quiet, down to earth lads and very humble. They were really good to get along with, they were the team-mates you’d want.
“They know what they are good at and they do it well. They don’t over-complicate things and they’ve got a lot of good attributes that are contributing to the first team.
“It’s good to see some local lads doing really well. When I was there, it didn’t really look like there was a pathway into the first team.
“Since Steve Bruce has come in, there seems to be a few young lads getting a sniff and training with the first team which is obviously really good to see considering I’ve been in their shoes and know what they’re feeling.
“It’s just good to see local lads playing for the club.”
“They
are both