07 November 2023 , 13:16
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Newcastle United have been tipped to make sensational loan swoops for a host of Saudi stars with Eddie Howe suddenly in need of new players.
After the euphoria of qualifying for the Champions League last season, Newcastle have managed to maintain momentum this time around. Saturday's win over Arsenal leaves them sixth in the Premier League table, and Howe's side have also booked their spot in the Carabao Cup quarter finals.
Despite having their European progress checked by Borussia Dortmund last time out, the club are also in the mix to qualify from their group following the memorable hammering of PSG. But off the field, problems are mounting with Sandro Tonali now suspended long term, and the likes of Dan Burn and Matt Targett the latest additions to an escalating injury list.
But amid Financial Fair Play regulations, Newcastle won't be available to spend big on replacements in January. That's despite the club reportedly drawing up a shortlist of names, with the likes of Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips on their radar as well as Ruben Neves, currently in the Middle East with Al-Hilal.
And football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes a raid on Saudi is realistic, albeit for loan signings, in order to escape any financial sanctions. He told the Chronicle Live "I suspect we could be moving into a very interesting time in January with talk of Newcastle potentially loaning players from the Saudi Pro League to Newcastle for the second half of the season.
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"Newcastle are flying at present, playing good football with thee current squad but Ronaldo, Benzema, if he hadn't wrecked his knee, Neymar and co. There's some good players."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are flourishing in the Saudi Pro League (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Ronaldo good enough to return to the Premier League? Comment below.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently on fire with Al-Nassr, scoring 21 times in 22 competitive games this season. That makes it a total of 35 goals for his new club since his acrimonious move from Manchester United in January.
Karim Benzema, who moved to Al-Ittihad from Real Madrid in the summer, is also making an impact. He has nine goals in 16 games in this campaign, albeit in front of paltry audiences with the league yet to capture the imagination of fan bases in Saudi.
The club's Saudi-based ownership is only likely to exacerbate the notion that the Magpies could look to the country's Pro League to do business. And players with Champions League experience could appeal to Howe should his side qualify for the last-16.