Man City can thank PSR rules for unsung star in Newcastle win after £33.5m signing

One of the misconceptions in Manchester City's ongoing legal battle with the Premier League is that the Blues are out to end any kind of regulation on spending.

It is true that the club didn't like the premise of UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules and want spending to be more free than certain others in the league, yet even if the latest Premier League Associated Party Transaction rules are deemed as 'void and unenforceable' as the last lot City would still be bound by UEFA's cost control rules and the Profitability and Sustainability Rules that currently operate in England. City insist they have played by all rules at all times, and while the verdict is coming soon on the 115 charges an independent panel has agreed with them that some Premier League rules needed rewriting to be fair.

Fairness is not a word that many clubs associate with PSR, with the likes of Newcastle and Aston Villa finding that on-pitch success has not necessarily been rewarded by greater spending. Both had to get themselves involved in a series of connected-but-separate transactions last summer before the end of the financial year to make sure they were compliant with PSR, whereas the clubs with bigger revenues (apart from United, whose record in the transfer market is atrocious) have had fewer concerns.

The impact of PSR was evident on Saturday in the shape of defender Abdukodir Khusanov. The Uzbek defender looked extremely likely to be heading to Newcastle in the January window and would have happily gone, but with Lens holding out for a club record fee, and Eddie Howe not being able to stretch his budget like that, up stepped City and Txiki Begiristain.

Khusanov rallied after a horrible start against Chelsea and showed more solidity in a tricky