Saudi Arabia PIF beneficial arranged January loans to help Newcastle United with FFP – This makes me laugh | OneFootball

Saudi Arabia PIF purchased an 80 per cent controlling stake in Newcastle United in October 2021.

In June 2023, Saudi Arabia PIF bought majority 75 per cent stakes in Saudi Pro League clubs Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.

This was announced as part of a much wider major investment in domestic Saudi football, to try and help spark a rise for it (Saudi Pro League) to become one of the top ten leagues in the world, with also it being part of their even wider plan, to one day host the World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

However, to others, the only reason for this astonishing huge investment in their domestic football in summer 2023, by Saudi Arabia PIF, was to actually benefit Newcastle United. That the spending of a billion and more pounds on these Saudi clubs and subsequent investment in players and wages, was just so Newcastle United could get players on cheap deals arranged by Saudi Arabia PIF, to get around FFP limitations.

Yes, some people actually believed this. A bit like others who truly believe that the earth is flat, or even others who believe that Sunderland is as big a club as Newcastle United…

Anyway, back to Saudi Arabia PIF and their cunning plan, spending over a billion pounds just so Newcastle United might be able to get some cheap loans in this January window.

This makes me laugh, for many reasons.

However, the biggest laugh of all for me, is when (as usual with any of what the haters have to say about Newcastle United) the same old statements are repeated, without any real rational thinking behind them.

In this particular case I hear it repeatedly said along these lines about how ‘Newcastle United and Saudi Arabia PIF will cheat the system, sort all these free loan deals for star players to come in from the Saudi league in January to help them…’

The question I would ask (amongst many others!) is exactly who are all these players who could come from the Saudi Arabia PIF clubs on cheating loan deals, who would be able to automatically help Eddie Howe in the second half of this season?

These are the big signings made by the four Saudi Pro clubs that the PIF have 75 per cent stakes in…

Al-Ittihad

Fabinho (Liverpool) £40m, Jota (Celtic) £25m, Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) Free, N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) Free

Al-Ahli

Gabri Veiga (Celta Vigo) £35m, Riyad Mahrez (Man City) £30m, Roger Ibanez (AS Roma) £25m, Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle United) £23m, Merih Demiral (Atalanta) £17m, Edouard Mendy (Chelsea) £16m, Franck Kessie (Barcelona) £10m, Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) Free

Al Hilal

Neymar (PSG) £76m, Malcom (Zenit) £52m, Ruben Neves (Wolves) £47m, Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) £46m, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio) £34m, Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea) £18m, Bono (Sevilla) £18m

Al Nassr

Otavio (Porto) £51m, Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich) £24m, Aymeric Laporte (Man City) £23.5m, Seko Fofana (Lens) £21.5m, Marcelo Brozovic (Inter) £15.5m, Alex Telles (Man Utd) £4m

There are a lot of names there, many of them very recognisable names, however, what is the reality?

Many of those listed WERE top players but the reality is they aren’t any longer. They are players in their 30s who have their best days long behind them and are getting a final massive payday strolling around in the very low quality Saudi league.

For starters, forget about the haters who convince themselves that you can just do anything if you are Newcastle United and the Saudi Arabia PIF. Any deal between clubs with common ownership would be carefully scrutinised by the Premier League process. Newcastle United couldn’t just take Neymar (if he wasn’t injured) on a free loan and pay him a fiver a week, with Al Hilal paying the other £499,995 of his wages each week.

(Newcastle United lifting the Diriyah Cup after hammering Al Hilal 5-0 in December 2022)

Plus, the reality is that these fading superstars are now all half a year older again AND they have spent the first half of this season essentially playing what would have been friendly level football for them back in the day. The idea that any of these ageing superstars, who had been on their way put anyway, would suddenly be prime Premier League level next month, is laughable.

As for the handful of younger players who there could be a potential case made for, well, it just isn’t happening is it.

Ruben Neves came out and exposed all the journalists for the made up stories, saying recently that there hadn’t been any contact from Newcastle United, never mind negotiations, that it would be pointless anyway as he is very happy with where he now is.

As for ASM, well he is what he is. Somebody who helped us through the Bruce era, then did his bit when Howe came in. Still in and out as always in terms of form and end product, but still had his moments.

Reality though is that is now gone, no major interest from decent level clubs in Europe, he moved for what looked a low £23m in today’s market, plus I can hardly seeing his game having now evolved after months of playing against some woeful defenders, just watch any of these Saudi league matches.

Gabri Veiga was somebody who so many journalists were assuring us was definitely a target for Newcastle United, indeed talks taking place and moving towards an agreement for January. The only small problem with that of course, was that the stories were completely 100 per cent made up. How can I know this for sure? Well, you can’t play for more than two different clubs in any one season and before moving to Al Ahli, Veiga had made one La Liga appearance for Celta Vigo this season, so he can’t play for Newcastle United (or anybody else in the Premier League) this season, the rules don’t permit it. It all becomes a bit uncomfortable for the haters, journalists and rival fans, when reality and facts intervene.

If say the Saudi Arabia PIF owned the top four clubs in say Germany, Spain or Italy, then maybe we would be talking. Eddie Howe say picking half a dozen free loan signings and United only having to finance a fiver a week in wages for each of them.