Newcastle United has received a green light to pursue players from the Saudi Pro League after a proposed Premier League vote to restrict loan moves between clubs with shared owners fell short of the required support. This decision opens up possibilities for Newcastle to strengthen their squad in January, targeting talents from clubs linked with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Despite initial discussions to potentially bar such transfers, the recent vote outcome has cleared the way for Newcastle to explore signings.

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A recent meeting among the Premier League’s 20 clubs concluded without the necessary majority support to impose a ban on loan transfers between co-owned clubs. While 13 teams voted in favor of the prohibition, the requirement of 14 votes for approval was not met, granting Newcastle the liberty to pursue players from the Saudi Pro League.

This development particularly benefits Newcastle’s pursuit of Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves, whom they’ve eyed as a potential replacement for Sandro Tonali. Neves, despite significant interest from the Premier League, is expected to remain with Al Hilal during the upcoming January transfer window. The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that despite ongoing speculation, Neves is content and settled at Al Hilal, playing a pivotal role within the team. His projected stay until the season’s end indicates his commitment to Al Hilal’s cause, especially crucial following Neymar’s injury.

Although ties between Newcastle and Al Hilal, sharing the same majority shareholder in Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), sparked concerns about potential rule changes, as of now, no alterations have been enforced. Speculation regarding a Premier League vote to block such moves in the winter market hasn’t materialized into action. Consequently, Neves looks set to continue his journey with Al Hilal, with no reported negotiations or approaches from interested parties.

Al Hilal’s impressive position atop the Saudi Pro League standings, coupled with their progress in tournaments like the AFC Champions League and the King’s Cup, further solidifies Neves’ integral role within the team. Their dominance, evident in their substantial lead over second-place Al Nassr, underscores their strength even with the latter boasting talents like Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ultimately, Newcastle’s access to the Saudi Pro League remains unimpeded, potentially paving the way for significant acquisitions in the upcoming transfer window.

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The Football Association has taken a stand against Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, for his contentious remarks following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle. Arteta’s strong criticisms of the officiating during the match have led to action from the FA.

Arteta’s comments, wherein he labeled the officiating as a “disgrace” and expressed feeling “sick” after the defeat to Newcastle, have landed him in hot water. The FA has charged Arteta under FA Rule E3.1 for his post-match statements, alleging that they constitute misconduct by being insulting towards match officials, detrimental to the game, and bringing the game into disrepute. Arteta has until November 21 to respond to this charge.

During a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Arteta passionately criticized the officiating, emphasizing his belief that Arsenal did not deserve to lose the game due to what he deemed as clear and obvious decisions going against his team. He expressed his frustration by calling the situation embarrassing and a disgrace, defending his players and his job.

Despite widespread condemnation of Arteta’s remarks, Arsenal issued a statement less than 24 hours after the game, standing by Arteta’s comments and criticizing the refereeing and VAR errors. The club voiced support for Arteta’s post-match stance, emphasizing the need for higher officiating standards in the Premier League and urging the governing body responsible for referees to take urgent action.

Arteta’s vocal criticism and Arsenal’s subsequent support have sparked a contentious debate about the state of officiating in the league, highlighting the need for improvements to ensure fairness and credibility in football matches.

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Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle United, has provided an update on Sandro Tonali, who is under investigation by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for alleged illegal betting activity. Howe stated that Tonali has been training with the team and is available for selection. However, he acknowledged the challenging period Tonali has gone through and emphasized the importance of supporting the young player.

“He’s very much with us. He trained with us twice this week and he’s very much available for selection. Like I do with all the players, analysing their training performances and how they look and feel. Sandro’s trained well with us.

“He’s had a very difficult couple of weeks. He’s been dealing with a lot and, from what I can see, he’s handling himself really well and he’s dealing with his emotions incredibly strongly. Underneath that, I’m sure there’s a lot going on so I’ll have to make a call.

“For me (the support for Sandro), it’s absolutely crucial. The most important part of this whole incident is Sandro and his welfare. It’s very easy for people to forget how young he is and the changes he’s had in his life coming from Italy to England. That’s hard enough to deal with and now he has this situation.

“We feel straight away, as a football club, it was throw our arms around him and protect him and try to give him the love and support he needs to find solutions to the problems that he’s had. That’s what we are endeavouring to do with a lot of conversations and a lot of communication with him and his family because it’s not just Sandro, it’s the people around him that’s so important to him.

“It’s been a big effort from us and I have to say he’s handled himself superbly well with respect and dignity.”

Regarding injuries to other players,

“He’s (Joelinton) trained well and looked good. He’s done a lot of work so I’m confident that he’s going to be okay and hopefully return to the form that we know he can produce. He’s a huge player for us. “Alex hasn’t trained with us yet. We’re going to leave it late to see if he is fit and available. Sven is improving and the the two weeks have been good for him. “I’m the same as Joe (Willock) – I want him back but, of course, we have to do it sensibly. He’s trained this week for the first time, back with the group. (It’s) probably a bit early for him to be involved in the match day squad but he’s getting closer.

He’s a huge player for us.” On Crystal Palace, who carried out Premier League stalemates against the Magpies in both fixtures last season: “Roy’s done an incredible job going back there in a difficult moment for the team. He bought stability to the club as he does everywhere he manages. He brings organisation and a real structure to their play. A very difficult team to play against and to score against this year. “Defensively, they’ve been very good. They don’t have (Wilfried) Zaha now but still have very dangerous players and players that can hurt you on transitions.

“They’ve got some real threats so we can’t underestimate the challenge and can’t get blind-sided by other distractions for us. This game will be hard enough so all our focus is on our training and preparation for the game.” On the busy schedule, with United set to play three competitive games per week before November’s international break: “It’s strange looking back to last year, feeling that was intense and then you come into this period which is a different level but it’s something we enjoyed in the last period and the team performed really well. “I think, hopefully, if we can continue to set our standards very high, we can continue our good form.”

On Crystal Palace, who had drawn with Newcastle in both fixtures last season, Howe praised Roy Hodgson’s influence on the team, highlighting their defensive stability and dangerous players.

Despite the busy schedule with three competitive games per week leading up to the international break in November, Howe expressed confidence in the team’s ability to maintain their high standards.

Anthony Gordon’s excellent form and dedication were commended, even though he recently served a suspension and became a father.

Finally, Lewis Miley, who made his first competitive start for Newcastle against Manchester City but is now dealing with glandular fever, will need a few more weeks of rest and recovery. The club aims to support his rehabilitation as he is considered a promising talent.

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