Newcastle boss Eddie Howe refuses to rule out loaning players from fellow PIF-owned sides in Saudi Arabia

Nothing more than a coincidence

Similarly to Newcastle, the four biggest clubs in Saudi Arabia are controlled by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Howe and Newcastle have struggled to get bodies through the door so far, with Sandro Tonali the only player to join while talks over a deal for Harvey Barnes remain ongoing.

The threat of Financial Fair Play is also stalling the Magpies' transfer activity and Howe has admitted he would be open to dealing with clubs in the Middle East, providing it was the right choice.

"That depends on if it is the right thing for Newcastle. We'll always act with our best interests first," he said.

Recent weeks has since Saudi Arabia attract a whole host of big names ranging from Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté to younger talents such as Jota, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinković-Savić.

"I don't think the fees have been excessive necessarily — maybe the wages have, which is making it attractive to players," Howe added.

"Depth is huge for us this year. With the competitions that we're in, having three games a week, we need to be able to rotate the team, but to be able to bring in players who are of equal standard.

"That's what we're looking to do, but we know we have a lot of work to do that. Players are expensive these days. We're working within FFP guidelines, which is very difficult for us. We might need to be creative, but we're trying to look at every avenue we can to make the club stronger.

"We have a very strict budget that we're trying to work within. Always with FFP, there are certain things you can be creative on, but we don't have a huge budget to work with.

"At times there have been frustrations and difficult days. We know the challenges that we face. Through the summer I've been through all the emotions."

Related links:

• Al-Nassr banned by FIFA from registering players following Premier League transfer
• Gary Neville calls for Premier League to put an instant halt on Saudi Arabia transfers
• Newcastle in talks to host Saudi Arabia international fixture