Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has stated that the club will do all possible to oppose a proposed new Premier League regulation that would prohibit teams from signing players on loan from affiliated clubs.
A interim ban, which would prevent Howe from borrowing players from the four Saudi Arabian clubs owned by the Gulf kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, will be voted on by clubs on November 21. That would rule out a move for Al-Hilal’s Rben Neves, among others.
Although Howe declined to discuss the specifics of Newcastle’s resistance strategy, when asked whether the club would fight such changes, he responded, “You can make that assumption.”
With Newcastle’s star summer signing, Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, suspended for ten months, Howe is eager to find a replacement in January. Neves, a former Wolves player, has been largely regarded as the most likely recruit.
“He’s a player we liked when he was at Wolves,” Howe added, dismissing the notion that the Portugal international would be unsuitable to Newcastle’s high-energy pressing style. “I believe that players can adapt to different styles,” the coach remarked. “I’ve got no doubt about that.”
Although it is possible Howe is using Neves as a smokescreen while he pursues another target, he does not want to see his scope for transfer-market manoeuvre restricted. “We will work within whatever rules the Premier League set and we have to respect those rules,” he said. “We just have to react to the changes. But I will leave you to decide why those rules are coming in.”
As Howe prepared to return to Bournemouth on Saturday he seemed a little frustrated that that the VAR controversy surrounding Anthony Gordon’s winning goal at home to Arsenal last Saturday had deflected attention from the quality of Newcastle’s victory against Mikel Arteta’s side. Afterwards the Arsenal manager launched into a rant against the application of VAR which Howe – whose relationship with his counterpart is slightly frosty – felt was unhelpful. “The whole storm around the goal took all the noise,’ he said. “I don’t think my players got the credit they deserved for their performance.”
When Howe was between jobs, Andoni Iraola, the manager of Bournemouth, welcomed him to his previous club, Rayo Vallecano, and explained the subtleties of Rayo’s furious pressing game. Newcastle play a similar style to Newcastle, but Howe said of his trip, “I don’t think it was a big watershed.” My vision for how I want my squad to play has evolved and changed, but my essential beliefs have remained constant.” He called Iraola “not just a very good coach, but also a very good person.”
Newcastle will be missing at least ten senior players, including Bruno Guimares, who is suspended. Callum Wilson will have a hamstring test, which could force him to withdraw from the England squad.