The convoluted nature of football these days means that Sandro Tonali’s 10-month ban from the game might not hit Newcastle as hard as they first thought.
Being owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) clearly has its advantages for the Magpies, as it means that, where possible, players from any one of the top teams from the Saudi Pro League could be parachuted in to cover for unexpected events.
Whilst such a situation would appear to hand Newcastle an unfair advantage and question marks will undoubtedly be raised by other clubs, there’s little that can be done if everything is proven to be above board.
In that respect, you’d have to take your hat off to PIF for their intelligence in being able to essentially re-write the rule book.
Further, there has been little push back regarding how the City Group operate, given that they now own a number of football clubs across the world and have moved players between each before now.
In any event, The Sun have reported that Ruben Neves, who only joined Al Hilal in the summer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, could soon be wearing the black and white stripes.
Such a transfer only need be until the summer too, after which Tonali returns and Neves can go back to life in the Emirates.
More must-reads: