No haggling, no bartering, no posturing. Do the deal and do it fast, so when Newcastle play those pivotal games in January, the team is stronger and has more chances of winning.
It is going to be fascinating to see how things unfold. It is the moment we will find out if the things promised in these early days under new owners are real.
Although Newcastle United are controlled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, with its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, now installed as club chairman, it is consortium partners, Amanda Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi who have been placed in charge of the day-to-day running of the club.
The wife and husband team have a management contract of unspecified length – thought to for an initial 12 months – and are being supported by Jamie Reuben, whose family also provided the funds to buy the club for £305m from former owner Mike Ashley.
It is a power sharing arrangement, but all the final decisions are being signed off in Riyad. That is where the real power lies. PIF are in control, they have just allowed others to run things for them, while they assess things from afar.
Staveley is the public face of the regime, but she is effectively on trial. She has admitted as much herself, privately.
Of some concern is the fact that, after three months, no sporting director or chief executive have been appointed. That was supposed to be a priority back in October. Slow and steady is fine, sometimes, but not in January recruitment.
It has been a time of celebration on Tyneside. The new owners have been welcomed with selfies, high fives and hugs.
There has been an avalanche of goodwill. Supporters are excited about what the new era will bring. After 14 largely miserable years under former owner Mike Ashley, the unleashing of so much positive energy has been wondrous.
Step into St James’ Park on a matchday and the atmosphere is as good, as positive, loud and upbeat as it was when Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers were challenging for a Premier League title and Sir Bobby Robson’s young swashbucklers were competing in the Champions League.
But Newcastle are in the relegation zone, not battling at the top of the league. They have one of the worst teams in the top flight and there is only so much Howe can do to improve them with tactics and training sessions.
He needs better players to work with. Newcastle require – and this is a conservative assessment – four new defenders, a defensive midfielder and a striker in January. That is six players to sign and it is going to take a lot of money, in both wages and fees, to get them.
But get them they must. Get it wrong in January and the new regime at Newcastle’s first notable achievement is going to be relegation.
You doubt those sitting in Riyad are going to allow that to go unpunished. It will be those running the club on their behalf who will surely pay the price. A test has been set and it is not one you get to sit again if you fail.
