Newcastle United have described the prospect of renaming St James' Park as a 'very sensitive one' - and the Magpies' hierarchy are not alone in that view.

That is according to football finance expert Dan Plumley, who suggested there were 'big names who could be attracted to big Premier League clubs'. Plumley even estimated such deals could be worth as much as £20m - £30m a season for sides at the very top, but there is a reason why only half a dozen current top-flight clubs have changed the name of their ground.

"English football has not really gone down that road, especially with some of those stadiums that have those names that are known throughout the world and have a very historical backstory to them," Plumley told the Monday Night Club. "Interestingly, in the European football market, we're way behind the States as an example with stadium naming rights. Most of the deals in European football are in Germany and Austria.

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"Certainly, with English football, if you're going into that from a stadium naming rights partner point of view, you are wary of the cultural significance and the historical significance of a name that has been there for generations and hundreds of years."

Peter Silverstone, Newcastle's chief commercial officer, has previously labelled stadium naming rights a 'very sensitive one' while CEO Darren Eales admitted that such deals were not 'front of mind'. Whether that would change if Newcastle decided to build a new stadium remains to be seen, but those at the top have always vowed to speak to supporters first after former owner Mike Ashley rebranded St James' in 2011 without as much as a second thought - and with no tangible benefit for the club.

"We've seen the backlash the other way with Mike Ashley, Newcastle United and the Sports Direct Arena," Plumley added. "You do run the risk of a fan backlash and that goes back to the point of some of the warning signs or reticence from an owner point of view to not go down that road is the fear of fan backlash. If you are going to do it, is it better to do it on a new stadium build and do it from the off?"