The Supposed Newcastle Loan Clause Would Benefit No One But Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is already being linked with a return to the Champions League
10:00, 04 Jan 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo just cannot keep himself out of the headlines. Just days after his hypocritical record-breaking move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr was confirmed, he was being tipped to return to the Champions League due to a rumoured clause in his contract.

This loophole would supposedly allow the veteran Portuguese star to join Newcastle United, owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, on loan should they qualify for the Champions League next season. 

The high-flying Magpies are currently third in the Premier League having lost just one of their opening 18 games of the season. Such a move would stand only to benefit Ronaldo in a bid to better his Champions League legacy while being a step backward for Newcastle.

Eddie Howe has been building something special there over the past year, and he thankfully came out and distanced himself and his club from talk of a Newcastle clause on Tuesday. "We wish Cristiano all the best in his new venture but there's no truth in that from our perspective,” the Magpies boss insisted.

And that can surely only be good news. Not only has Howe made smart additions to his squad but he has developed the players who were struggling to make an impact at St James’ Park before his arrival. Given how sour the atmosphere was at Manchester United upon Ronaldo’s return, given the chance, it's easy to see why Howe would decline the option to bring the 37-year-old in on loan.

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His team have been impressive with not just their pressing but their ball movement and their retention. Bringing in a problem figure in Ronaldo would only jeopardise the progress that the Magpies have made so far under the English coach.

The internet seems fascinated by the whispers of this Newcastle clause being in Ronaldo’s contract, and while Howe has moved to shoot down speculation it is clear that an agreement could be in place between CR7 and his club without the Newcastle boss being the first to know about it. While such a move would be strange, it wouldn’t be the first time something like this has happened.

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Such clauses or agreements between two clubs under the same umbrella are not unusual. We saw it when Frank Lampard briefly joined Manchester City from New York City after his Chelsea exit. Each appearance he made in sky blue felt wrong and it was even stranger when he scored against his old side at the Etihad Stadium.

This move didn’t go down well with Chelsea fans or New York City fans. Lampard was initially supposed to spend six months in Manchester, which then got extended to a full season with the Cityzens, delaying his introduction to MLS despite all the fanfare of his arrival.

Another example of the City Football Group sharing players around also involves New York City. In 2014 they acquired former Barcelona striker David Villa but he was immediately sent out on loan to Melbourne City to help him with his fitness ahead of the MLS season. He was initially sent for 10 matches but got recalled after four having not won a single game despite scoring twice.

Leeds United’s American midfielder Tyler Adams was acquired by the Yorkshire club from RB Leipzig. The Red Bull group own several football clubs and his transfer to Leipzig was classed as in-house as he moved over from New York Red Bulls. These types of deals are frowned upon when it comes to Financial Fair Play regulations.

Speaking of FFP, Championship side Watford have sometimes been given a huge helping hand from Italian club Udinese as both are owned by the Pozzo family. Since 2010, over 50 deals have been completed between the two sides. One of their most recent involved defender Hassane Kamara. 

The left-back, who joined the Hornets in January 2022, was sold to Udinese for a £12m profit in the summer only to be loaned back to Watford for the 2022-23 season. Many Championship clubs have been in uproar about how Watford’s owners exploit the system and in a lot of cases these transfers between connected clubs do not tend to have the most positive impact.

Going back to Ronaldo, it makes no sense from Al-Nassr’s point of view to spend over £5 a second on a player only to let him go back to Europe at the first opportunity while they foot the bill. They clearly went to a lot of effort to convince the ageing star to join them so it would be a bit of an own goal for themselves if they were to agree to such a clause. Neither club would benefit from this potential loan next season, beyond Newcastle getting a big-earning player at cut-price in an FFP era. Howe doesn't want him. He simply doesn't fit a successful style of play being played at St James' Park. The only true winner will be Ronaldo because he will still get paid his millions regardless, no matter how much further his abilities diminish.

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