PIF overruled Newcastle United summer decision, it cost the club £30m
Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian owners PIF made a key transfer call late on in the summer window which saw the club lose out on a potential £30million fee.
There was lots of optimism around St James’ Park at the start of the summer after Newcastle‘s strong 2025-26 campaign, but that soon dissipated as the window wore on.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) took over at St James’ Park in 2021, and while things clearly went well with them at the helm in their first few seasons, their success was in danger of being undone by the summer’s shortcomings as Alexander Isak pushed to join Liverpool and they missed out on a number of top targets.
Football Insider revealed in July that PIF felt that Eddie Howe was partly to blame for their poor window, but the club did manage to turn things around somewhat as the deadline edged closer and more signings arrived on Tyneside.
PIF’s commitment to Newcastle was questioned after the window had ended, following Isak’s saga and their lack of progress made ahead of the new campaign, and another report has now revealed that they made a huge decision close to the deadline that saw the club lose out on money to come in the future.
PIF cancelled William Osula’s £30m loan-to-buy move to Eintracht Frankfurt late in the window
According to the Daily Mail (25 September), Newcastle’s Saudi owners pulled the plug on William Osula’s deadline day move to German club Eintracht Frankfurt.
A permanent deal of around £30million had reportedly been agreed with the Bundesliga side, and Osula was ready to leave, but Frankfurt changed the make-up of the deal late on and instead negotiated a £6m loan with an option to buy.
That move was still set to go through until PIF cancelled it late on, as they felt that the new terms favoured the German club more than Newcastle.
PIF’s Osula decision has been proven to be correct
PIF may not have got everything right in the summer window, but they will feel vindicated at making sure Osula stayed at the club considering what has transpired in the three weeks since the deadline.
Yoane Wissa suffered a serious knee injury on international duty for DR Congo just days after he had joined the Magpies, and he is not expected to be back fit for another month, with Osula given more chances than he would have expected in Howe’s side as a result.
| Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists |
| 25 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
Osula has come off the bench in each of Newcastle’s five league games so far this term, while he proved his quality in front of goal with a strike against Liverpool and a brace against Bradford City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday (24 September).
The Mail’s report states that there is now a feeling of “huge relief” on Tyneside that the 22-year-old has remained at the club, and his value only looks set to rise as long as he continues to be an asset to Howe.