Eddie Howe questions why Newcastle are being labelled as the ‘sole’ beneficiaries of Premier League vote that failed to block ‘related-party loans’ – claiming ‘there is no advantage’ for his side 

• A top flight vote to block loans between clubs with the same owners didn’t pass
• This means Newcastle can loan stars from PIF-owned Saudi Pro League teams
• Inside Postecoglou’s Tottenham: IAKO looks at culture and philosophy changes 

Eddie Howe finds it ‘strange’ that Newcastle are being cast as the only beneficiaries of the Premier League vote that went against a ban on loans between clubs with the same owners.

The fast-tracked motion would have prevented Newcastle from loaning players from PIF-owned Saudi Pro League teams in January.

However, during Tuesday’s Premier League shareholders’ meeting in London, the proposal failed to get the support of the 14 clubs necessary, falling short by two.

It means injury-hit Newcastle are free to trade with Saudi clubs in the New Year, but Howe said: ‘There is no advantage in my eyes, we are the same as every other Premier League club. It is the same for everyone. I understand the focus being on us, but it is not solely on us. We can recruit from a league.

‘You say (the vote went) in Newcastle’s “favour”, it was a Premier League vote, we’re not the only club involved in that vote. I think the majority of clubs in the Premier League own other clubs around the world, so it’s not solely on us, I don’t think.

Eddie Howe finds it ‘strange’ that Newcastle are being cast as the only beneficiaries of the Premier League vote that went against a ban on loans between clubs with the same owners

A vote on the measure failed to get the support of the 14 clubs necessary (above – Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley leaves The Churchill Hotel in central London on Tuesday)  

‘Newcastle as a club had a view. We voted our way, in the way we’re allowed to, and the vote came out on the side that it did. I found it a bit strange that the focus has been solely on us. Every club has a right to vote how they want to vote, and it hasn’t gone through, so it’s not just about us.’ 

So, will Newcastle – who have also lost Sandro Tonali until August because of a ban for illegal gambling – look to the Saudi market?

‘Just from my dealings with it, we’re very relaxed on it,’ said Howe. ‘It’s not the be-all and end-all for us. We’ve got a squad we really like. If we can get players fit before January, the need to recruit will become much less intense for us.

Howe’s side have several injuries and reports say they may recruit from Saudi Arabia in January

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’It’s not even in our thoughts at this moment in time. At the start of the season, January was not a window that we were looking to invest in. It would only be a reaction to the injuries that we have and whether we need to recruit, because the majority of our players would be back in January. If you rewind a few months, there wouldn’t have been any desire to invest in January.

‘It’s hard to make any kind of decision as I sit here now because the squad could look very different by January 1. The squad could look a lot stronger. I say “could” because we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few weeks.

‘In general, I’m against making short-term decisions unless we absolutely have to. Last January, we invested in Anthony Gordon, who we really believed could be a top talent here for many, many years. He was the right personality at that time to improve the squad. I think they’re the types of signings that we want to be making. Sat here now, though, I’ve no idea whether we’ll be in a position to do that.’

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