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Eddie Howe has insisted the decision not to introduce a ban which could have prevented Newcastle from loaning players from Saudi clubs is no great advantage to them.<\/p>\n
Premier League clubs this week voted against a move to stop members drafting in players on temporary deals from associated clubs \u2013 those who share owners \u2013 which had been interpreted as a bid to thwart the Magpies, who had been linked with a January move for Al-Hilal\u2019s Ruben Neves.<\/p>\n
Newcastle are 80 per cent owned by Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund, which also has controlling stakes in four Saudi Pro League clubs including Neves\u2019 employers, and the decision means in theory that they could sign loan deals to bolster their squad in the midst of an injury crisis.<\/p>\n
Howe said: \u201cI found it a bit strange that the focus has been solely on us. Every club has a right to vote how they want to vote and it hasn\u2019t gone through so it\u2019s not just about us.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a Premier League vote \u2013 we\u2019re not the only club involved in that vote. I think the majority of clubs in the Premier League own other clubs around the world, so it\u2019s not solely on us, I don\u2019t think.<\/p>\n
\u201cNewcastle as a club had a view. We voted our way in the way we\u2019re allowed to and the vote came out on the side that it did.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust from my dealings with it, we\u2019re very relaxed on it. It\u2019s not the be-all and end-all for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Howe\u2019s squad has been ravaged by injuries and suspension in recent weeks but midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is available for Saturday\u2019s home clash with Chelsea after serving a one-match ban, as is Kieran Trippier after leaving the England squad for personal reasons.<\/p>\n
Striker Alexander Isak is close to a return from a groin injury, but Howe is still without the likes of Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Sean Longstaff, Sandro Tonali, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes and Callum Wilson.<\/p>\n
Asked if he would consider signing a player from a Saudi club in January, Howe said: \u201cIt\u2019s not even in our thoughts at this moment in time.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s not the be-all and end-all for us<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cIt would only be a reaction to the injuries that we have and whether we need to recruit because the majority of our players would be back in January. At this moment in time, we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Howe put the final touches to his preparations for the Chelsea game having watched back his side\u2019s 2-0 defeat at former club Bournemouth on their last outing no fewer than five times in a bid to address what went wrong.<\/p>\n
He did so with \u00a355million summer signing Tonali, who is serving a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, showing just how much of a miss he will be on the training pitch.<\/p>\n
Howe said: \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t know from our training sessions that he\u2019s unavailable to play and it\u2019s probably been the best we have seen him in training. I\u2019d love to see him when he comes back into the team because I think he will be a huge player for us.\u201d<\/p>\n