Why clubs in Saudi Arabia did not help Newcastle United during their PSR nightmare

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Since PIF bought Newcastle United, only one Toon player has left St James’ Park for Saudi Arabia.

That was Allan Saint-Maximin in 2023. He left Newcastle United to sign for Al-Ahli, costing £23million.

While that is obviously a lot of money, it was certainly not an inflated fee. If anything, the Saudi Pro League club got Saint-Maximin on the cheap. Alas, there were calls for Newcastle’s Saint-Maximin deal to be investigated from Premier League rivals.

But that is the only instance of a Newcastle United player joining a Saudi Arabian club, despite PIF also owning four sides in Saudi Arabia. If PIF wanted to help Newcastle out financially, they could. There is a clear loophole for them to sell players between clubs, and that could have helped the Magpies as they scrambled to comply with PSR over the summer.

PIF clubs did not buy Newcastle United players despite PSR debacle

Newcastle did comply with PSR in the end, but that was not thanks to deals involving Saudi Arabian clubs.

Instead, Newcastle sold Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson – two very talented youngsters who were expected to have bright futures at St James’ Park.

Given the severity of the situation and PIF’s desire for Newcastle to avoid a points deduction, it came as a surprise to see none of Eddie Howe’s squad sold to the Middle East.

According to the Telegraph, the Saudi Pro League does not want to be seen as a ‘retirement home’ for players, which is a tag that has been thrown at the MLS in years gone by.

The Telegraph add that the Saudi Pro League’s reputation took precedent over Newcastle’s need to comply with PSR, which they describe as a ‘sobering realisation’ for those inside St James’ Park.

Newcastle may need to sell again in 2025

PIF are a massive financial entity. Newcastle United are not the number one priority, which is not a major surprise. That was summed up by the lack of transfers between Newcastle and clubs in Saudi Arabia during the Magpies’ time of need over the summer.

Newcastle were so desperate that they considered selling Anthony Gordon, which resulted in one of their star players becoming unsettled.

It was a very testing situation, and one that could re-emerge in 2025. The Telegraph add that Paul Mitchell wants to make one major signing for Newcastle in January, if the right player is available. However, that would result in the Magpies needing to sell someone in the summer to comply with PSR.

Based on what happened this year, Newcastle might not be selling anyone to Saudi Arabia in 2025, even if the club are scrambling to comply with PSR yet again.

While there is a loophole open for Newcastle exploit, PIF have opted against it.