Newcastle have long been linked with a January move for former Wolves ace Ruben Neves, and now Eddie Howe has commented on the situation.
When Ruben Neves was sold to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in the summer, many thought a situation could unfold where Newcastle could eventually get him due to both clubs having the same owners.
Wolves managed to pocket £48 million from the deal which now is one of the main reasons behind an upcoming key Premier League debate.
The reason being, as the Northern Echo has explained:
“The meeting on November 21 will feature a vote on a temporary ban on teams loaning a player from a club that is under the same ownership. Neves currently plays in the Saudi Arabian league for Al-Hilal, one of the four Pro League clubs whose majority owners, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, are also the majority owners of Newcastle.”
But despite the impending vote, Eddie Howe has reaffirmed his interest in Neves.
Eddie Howe admits being interested in Neves
Howe explained that Neves is a player he has long been interested in, stretching back to his Wolves days.
“It’s difficult to talk about one individual player, but yes, he’s (Neves) definitely a player that we liked when he was at Wolves.
“At this stage though, I honestly don’t have any plans for January because it’s such a moving thing. We don’t have clearly identified targets because there are too many moving parts at this stage.
“There’s a lot of football to be played, and injuries, from our side, where players may or may not return. It’s very difficult for us to have finalised those plans at this moment in time.”
We expect that if the vote goes Newcastle’s way, Neves will probably be a Newcastle player come January.
Why the rule could be put in place
The rule is being suggested as a way to avoid clubs like Newcastle gaining an unfair advantage.
Say the PIF were to buy players for high fees and high wages that would never be allowed under the Premier League’s financial restrictions, they could then in theory loan them to Newcastle for no fee.
The rule would avoid that unfair potential and keep the playing field level.
As an example, if Wolves were to try and loan Neves in January, Al-Hilal would probably insist on us paying the entirety of his £332k-a-week salary, Newcastle wouldn’t have to.