Only one Toon player has left St James’ Park for Saudi Arabia since PIF acquired Newcastle United.
In 2023, Allan Saint-Maximin was that. At a cost of £23 million, he left Newcastle United to sign with Al-Ahli.
Even though that is a sizable sum of money, the cost was not exorbitant. If anything, Saint-Maximin was acquired by the Saudi Pro League team at a reduced cost. Regretfully, Premier League opponents demanded that Newcastle’s Saint-Maximin deal be looked into.
But even though PIF also owns four teams in Saudi Arabia, that is the only time a player from Newcastle United has joined a Saudi club. PIF may provide financial support to Newcastle if they so choose. They may have benefited from this evident loophole, which allowed them to sell players to different teams throughout the summer while the Magpies were rushing to meet PSR requirements.
PIF clubs did not buy Newcastle United players despite PSR debacle
In the end, Newcastle did adhere to PSR, but not because of agreements with Saudi Arabian teams.
Rather, Newcastle let go of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh, two extremely gifted young players who were thought to have promising careers at St James’ Park.
Not surprisingly, given the gravity of the situation and PIF’s desire for Newcastle to avoid losing ground, not a single member of Eddie Howe’s side was sold to the Middle East.
The Telegraph claims that the Saudi Pro League rejects the notion that it should be viewed as a “retirement home,” a label that the Major League Soccer (MLS) has historically carried.
The Telegraph goes on to say that Newcastle’s need to adhere to PSR was superseded by the Saudi Pro League’s reputation, calling this conclusion a “sobering realisation” for everyone within St James’ Park.
Newcastle may need to sell again in 2025
PIF is a very large financial organisation. It should come as no surprise that Newcastle United is not the first priority. The absence of transfers between Newcastle and Saudi Arabian teams during the Magpies’ summer of necessity was a perfect example of that.
One of Newcastle’s best players became uneasy as a result of their desperation, which caused them to contemplate trading Anthony Gordon.
It was a highly demanding scenario that may resurface in 2025. According to The Telegraph, Paul Mitchell hopes to bring in one significant player for Newcastle in January—that is, if the right player is available. But in order to comply with PSR, that would mean the Magpies would have to sell someone in the summer.
Even if the team is frantically trying to abide by PSR once more, Newcastle may decide not to sell anyone to Saudi Arabia in 2025 based on what transpired this year.
Although Newcastle could take use of this loophole, PIF has chosen not to.
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