An ‘us-against-them’ mentality was at the heart of Newcastle United’s incredible surge into the Premier League’s top four last season.
“Not here to be popular, here to compete” Eddie Howe famously commented after a painful defeat in controversial circumstances at Anfield where his team were booed off the field by Liverpool fans.
Howe of course had the last laugh in May. Usurping Jurgen Klopp’s men from their Champions League spot in a remarkable turnaround for a club that was bottom of the league two years ago.
Newcastle United’s fan base really don’t care what others think of them. It’s an attitude I fully expect their owners and management to take into the January transfer window.
On Tuesday, 12 of the 20 Premier League clubs voted to block a motion that would’ve prevented loans occurring between teams under the same ownership - two votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for it to be passed.
So, Newcastle can still sign loan players from clubs also owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), namely Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad.
High profile players at those clubs include Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez. In the summer Newcastle were interested in a move for former Wolves captain Ruben Neves who eventually signed for PIF-owned Al-Hilal.
Asked earlier in November whether he would consider signing players from Saudi Arabia if allowed, Eddie Howe said he was "open to signing anyone if they are good enough". This week he reiterated: “we’re very relaxed on it, it’s not the be all and end all for us.”
But for context just five senior outfield players trained at Newcastle during the international break. Jamaal Lascelles, Anthony Gordon, Joe Willock, Matt Ritchie and Paul Dummett. Only three of those are likely to start the game vs Chelsea on Saturday.
Youngster Lewis Miley was also present, with Kieran Trippier joining belatedly after leaving the England camp for undisclosed personal reasons.
The significance of the next six weeks for Eddie Howe should not be underestimated. Ten games scheduled, including a trip to Paris in the Champions League and Tottenham in the league, with visits to St. James’ Park from Chelsea, AC Milan and Manchester United in between. No free midweek between now and the end of the year.
Reinforcements certainly won’t be in place on New Years’ Day when Howe and the team are back at Anfield, or when Manchester City visit on 13 December.
There is some respite after that game, but what state will Newcastle’s season be in? They could feasibly be out of Europe, and out of both domestic cups
Newcastle are threadbare, desperate for reinforcements and an opportunity to recruit talented players on loan (thus not impacting Profit and Sustainability regulations) can't come soon enough.
Of course it’s very presumptuous for fans, pundits and FourFourTwo.com writers to assume that all Eddie Howe has to do is spin round on his throne and press the big green Saudi button on his desk to activate any deal from the Middle East he might want to happen.
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But football transfers are complicated, time-consuming, there’s fees, logistics, medicals and emotions involved (does Neves even want to uproot and move to Newcastle on a short-term deal?).
But a bigger factor than all this are the priorities of Saudi-based clubs to whom players like Ruben Neves are actually contracted, and the Saudi Pro League itself. They’re trying to turn their league into a very serious proposition and spending very serious amounts of money to make this happen quickly.
A look at the average attendances in Saudi suggests it’s hard going, despite the conveyor belt of talent that arrived in the summer.
Ruben Neves returning to the Premier League on loan isn’t a good look for the Saudi Pro League, it undermines the ‘product’ and there would be a degree of awkwardness for all parties involved if he arrived on Tyneside in January.
It’s the equivalent of Eddie Howe opening the Championship Manager 1997/98 Data Editor and changing Neves club to Newcastle.
But it’s perfectly legal for him to do so, and believe me, Newcastle won’t be shy making moves in Middle East. They’ve had a taste for the Champions League, and the sweet, sweet sponsorship deals that the competition attracts.
By New Year’s Day ego will have gone out of the window: Newcastle won't be worried about their reputation, it could be a case of needs must.
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