With the Premier League having effectively presented teams with the chance to loan players from their sister clubs, here is why Newcastle United must exploit this opportunity by signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane in the January transfer window!
It was announced on Tuesday that Premier League clubs had voted against a ban on loan deals between teams with shared owners, thus enabling English top-flight sides to sign players from affiliated clubs on loan as soon as the next transfer window.
Read: OPINION: International football needs to take a backseat!
According to Sky Sports, 13 teams voted in favour of a ban, while seven sides were against it, but the threshold for a ban to be implemented was 14 votes. However, this decision is only temporary as January approaches, and a permanent policy is being discussed for future transfer windows.
Nevertheless, teams who are part of multi-club ownership structures such as Newcastle and Manchester City can now bolster their squads in January with absolute convenience.
The Magpies are owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, who also have a 75% stake in Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, Al Ahli, and Al Hilal. Therefore, Eddie Howe's injury-ridden side could now technically sign the likes of Ronaldo, Mane, N'Golo Kante, Karim Benzema, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Riyadh Mahrez, among many others!
With the decision having been made little more than a month before the January window opens, not many of the Saudi Pro League's big names have been linked with a move to St. James' Park, apart from Ruben Neves of Al Hilal so far. The Portugal star has been linked with a return to the Premier League as a potential replacement for the Geordies' Sandro Tonali following the Italian midfielder's 10-month suspension for gambling on football.
As of this week, though, Newcastle have up to 12 potential absentees for their match against Chelsea on Saturday, per The Athletic.
There's a compelling case for why Howe's outfit should exploit the possibility of signing Ronaldo and Mane specifically early next year. Both Newcastle strikers Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak are injured at the moment, with their return dates unconfirmed. Wilson's injury record is a genuine cause for concern given that the club could still be playing European football in 2024 should they qualify for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 or drop down to the UEFA Europa League play-offs. The England international is suffering from a second hamstring injury this season, a setback that has been a recurring feature for him in every campaign since 2018/19, according to Transfermarkt.
Given Wilson's volatile injury record, a highly capable option such as Ronaldo or Mane in attack would give the English outfit added experience to a side that is playing continental football for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign (in the Europa League).
The EPL side's potential signing of both stars, though, while without a doubt a good idea, is highly unlikely as things stand, given how important Mane and Ronaldo are to Al Nassr this season, having registered a combined 38 goal involvements between them so far this term.
Read: Opinion: Man Utd stars need to suck it up and stop being divas!
Mane reportedly flirted with idea of returning to the Premier League back in August, and it would be interesting to see if he would let the opportunity to do so slip by if it came around once again.
Ronaldo's case, on the other hand, would be far more complicated as he is now essentially the face of the Saudi Pro League and hugely influential on why the league is what it is today! Also, with the UEFA European Championship coming up in June 2024, the seven-time Ballon d'Or would have to think carefully about making any move in January as it could make or break his participation at the tournament.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: