Eddie Howe, a pawn in the wider Saudi investment machine, is unlikely to have known about his paymasters’ sensational manoeuvres to become the rulers of all professional golf and take over the country’s top four domestic clubs when he sat down with Newcastle United’s owners on the eve of their final Premier League game of the season.
Considering his consistent pleading of ignorance around all things that are not football, he may not even know now.
But the drama of the past 48 hours has brought fresh questions around what the future holds for Newcastle as it transitions from the sovereign wealth fund’s shiny new toy to merely part of the furniture.
Golf’s upheaval, concluding with PIF being its sole controller, should be looked at separately - even if chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan much prefers it as a sport. It is the Saudi Super League that could pose more of a threat.
The long-term view has been that PIF wants to create an umbrella organisation similar to Abu Dhabi’s City Football Group. The Premier League being the most lucrative domestic competition of all ensures that the Toon will sit on top of the tree and smaller outfits across Europe, and further afield, may be used as feeder clubs.
But taking control of the domestic game and seeking to attract so many star names is a curveball and the obscene salaries being offered - including a more than £80m offer to perma-crocked N’Golo Kante that pales in comparison to what Lionel Messi could earn should he accept a bid for his services - must be seen as a game-changer.
Before drawing with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 10 days ago, Howe met with the club’s top brass to discuss the summer’s transfer budget and admitted he would always hope for more money to spend on his squad.
Yet being in next season’s Champions League is vital - as it extends the amount that can be committed without straying into financial fair play trouble. If Newcastle had not finished in the top four, the team’s composition may have been much different.
"We had discussions last night – those discussions did take place. I don’t think a budget is ever outlined because there’s always so many variables to it, but we certainly know where we stand,” Howe said.
"Is the budget big? Well, when you’re sat in my shoes, it’s never as big as you want it to be.
"Financial fair play, as I always say, will impact what we do this summer. Certainly without Champions League football, it would have been very difficult for us to have done much in the transfer market at all. The fact we have that has given us a bit of a lift."
Newcastle also look set to announce a shirt sponsorship deal with Sela - a company owned by PIF that will bring fresh scrutiny around the Premier League flimsy ownership rules - as they look to grow the club commercially.
Howe has also previously reiterated his desire to invest in quality signings rather than quantity, stating that “hopefully it'll be the right two or three players to make us better." But chances are he may eventually find some of his targets weighing up offers to play for his employers’ domestic clubs. And that is an external factor he should certainly spend time learning about.
