Ruben Neves incoming?! Newcastle boss Eddie Howe reacts to Premier League vote which failed to block Magpies loaning Saudi Pro League players

The clubs did not vote in favour of a temporary prohibition on loans to linked parties. At a shareholders' meeting on Tuesday, 12 Premier League clubs voted in support of not placing a restriction on loan transfers between teams owned by the same person. This figure was two votes shy of what was required for the ban to be implemented.

"You say Newcastle were favoured but it was a Premier League vote," said Howe in a press conference. "We're not the only club involved in that vote. I think the majority of the Premier League and other clubs around the world [benefit] so it's not solely on us, I don't think.

"Newcastle, our club, had a view. We voted in a way, a way that we're allowed to, and the vote came out on the side that it did. I think just from my dealings with it, we're very relaxed on it. It's not the be-all and end-all for us. We've got a squad that we really like. Now if we get players fit before January then the need to recruit will become much less intense for us."

Thanks to the vote, Newcastle, which was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October 2021, would be able to loan players from other teams that the fund also owns. Indeed, the 'big four' Saudi Pro League teams - Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, and Al-Hilal - are majority-owned by PIF, with Newcastle having been linked with Ruben Neves.

There are ownership connections between other Premier League teams and foreign clubs. The Abu Dhabi-based City Football Group owns Manchester City and has ownership interests in a number of other teams worldwide. Meanwhile, BlueCo, the group that bought Chelsea, has an agreement to acquire shares in Racing Strasbourg in June. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ownership of French club Nice would also have provided obstacles for Manchester United, who are reportedly interested in Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo.

Howe will now be free to pursue Newcastle's interest in Al-Hilal's Neves, who has been targeted by the Magpies after Sandro Tonali was banned from footballing activities due to his involvement in betting. Before that, though, Newcastle face a tough test against Chelsea in Saturday's Premier League fixture.