The Independent today is reporting that Aston Villa and Manchester City have both officially approached Newcastle United about the availability of their Nigerian International 23 year-old striker, Obafemi Martins.
Oba Martins – seems to be in big demand with Premier clubs
The report also says that Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur are also keeping an eye on the situation. It’s true the Nigerian did have a release clause of £13M in his contract during the summer. However, our understanding of the situation as espoused by Newcastle Chairman Chris Mort in August, is that the release clause is no longer valid. But the reports claim Aston Villa are prepared to pay that amount of money to get him, in any case.
Just exactly why these reports are coming up now is a little mysterious, but maybe it’s just because the transfer window has opened and old stories are being recirculated. Oba Martins has always said he is very happy at Newcastle and likes playing for Big Sam. And Oba’s even brought a lot of his family over from Nigeria to Newcastle to live in the City with him. Oba also has an excellent rapport with the Newcastle fans.
There’s little doubt in our minds that Newcastle want to keep Oba. Yes, we do have Michael Owen available now, but Michael hasn’t exactly proved he’d be available for a full season any time soon, with all his many injuries over the last 29 months. He’s started just 21 games in that time for Newcastle and scored just 10 goals.
Oba Martins has started 16 times this season for Newcastle United, and has been brought on as a substitute 7 times. Oba’s scored 7 goals in total this season and is currently Newcastle’s top scorer. He has neither been booked nor sent off this season.
We have a hard time believing there’s any truth in this story, and certainly don’t believe Newcastle will sell in January, or anytime soon for that matter. We’re more in the business of bringing players to the club, rather than having any of our good players leave us.
But what do you think?
Comments very welcome.
53 comments so far
carl
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Comment #1i very much doubt we would sell in january
MattyDread
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Comment #2Yeah Oba’s been somewhat out of sorts this season, but that’s just indicative of the team he’s in. It would be a travesty to see him go.
George
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Comment #3I would not contemplate selling OFM.
Oba is a smashing lad and player. His form may have been indifferent this season, but look at how the others have played and the formations he has had to cope with.
It is obvious that other clubs see some good in him or else they would not come after him.
Just ignore them all Sam and sort out yourself first.
Drago
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Comment #4he’s not going to be a world class striker, because his decisions are like a 10year old boys…
valle
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Comment #5Sell him to Spurs and get Berbatov the other way pls… Oba isnt good enough and never will we… Why?… Because u cant learn football intelligence.
johnny
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Comment #6Would be a disaster to sell Oba, in years to come he will be world class. If we need to generate cash Owen should go. All Oba neds is a regular place in the team in the same position, ie not right or left wing but centre forward!
mark
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Comment #7I agree Valle that he doesnt have the best Football Brain if you like, but he can do some good stuff with a ball, the power behind his shots is immense, I think with a few more years experience, in say…3 years…he will be smashing 20-25 goals a season in the Prem alone. Easy.
This season I think he will get 15 – 20, nxt season 2 or 3 more, season after that probably 20 at least, then after that watch him fly. he will be truly truly world class one day.
ToonKing
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Comment #8i would sell………….and get someone who can hit something smaller than the moon.
andy ingham
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:22 PM
Comment #9Oba is our biggest threat and he is young exactly the type of player we need and should be hanging on to not selling to the teams around us he will still learn he never moans is never injured and seems for some reason to spend far too much time on the bench for my liking i would be very dissapointed to see him leave he is the future . yes his decision making is not always the best but who is perfect give the lad a chance ..
Scottie
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:42 PM
Comment #10Get rid of him. He’s dreadful, we could buy a striker of twice the ability for half the price. He has scored some great goals, but unfortuntely he’s just not good enough. I doubt anyone will even remember him 5 years after he’s gone, and he’ll be thought of in the same way as Cunningham & Reilly.
Steeley
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Comment #11I dont think we will sell him at all this tx window, however Ed, your article is incorrect.
I believe that you will find that the contract clause is still active. Sam came out last year and said that they were trying to negotiate a new contract with Martins to get rid of the clause right at the start of his tenure as manager.
Martins at the time seemed adamant he wanted to stay and sign that new contract, however, nothing ever came of it (or at least nothing has been made public about a new contract), so it means Martins could in effect go if someone put in a £13m bid.
Again though, I dont think there’s a cats chance first of all that anyone will offer £13m, and secondly that the club would accept a bid of anything less….espcially when looking at the mess we’re in at the moment.
Neil A H
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Comment #12Give him some help and he might produce. IF we had a creative midfielder and a consistent set up man Oba would be much more lethal.
Godzvilla
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:54 PM
Comment #13Hey! We’ll take him off your hands for you! I’ve always been impressed with Martins – the only player in the Premiership faster than Gabby Agbonlahor!! He scores good strikers goals, he’s strong, young and I don’t think your style of play has brought the best out of him. He’d be the perfect strike partner for Gabby and with the two of them in our forward line we’d be scoring and relacing the ball for kick off before the opposition had realised we’d scored!! :o) Good luck in the cup boys!
Nobby's dad
Jan 5, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Comment #14Absolutely no football brain and will not improve. I like him as a person, but as a footballer I honestly think there are lots of better options – the problem would be getting one in Jan. If we could get our money back sell him in the summer.
JoshI
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Comment #15Oba is that type of player who always generates chances, unlike our other strikers. All he needs to do is get his head down and score them, with a creative midfielder such as Arshavin he would get loads of of chances and surely his conversion rate will soar.
JoshI
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Comment #16Plus he really suits the new kit, i was just watching football focus and it showed him, when they went over NUFC, doing his flip celebration, gotta hold on to him purely for that.
Callum
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:25 PM
Comment #17Oba is a confidence player – Look how great he played last season once he adapted and why? Because Roeder was praising him constantly, Sam hasnt praised Oba once 🙁
Leo
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:25 PM
Comment #18dont sell him at all. and if we do well him, please not to a premier league club. i would only accept 15mil from a foreign club. more like 17mil from premier league club, due to darren bent being that price
Coolsmurf
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:28 PM
Comment #19if villa does get him, what a smashing speedy strikeforce of gabby, ashley young, luke moore and martins….
Mac
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Comment #20Villa can have him or anyone else that wants him,just not good enough i’m afraid,seems like a really nice guy,great injury free record,very fast and a powerful shot,However no footballing brain,no awareness of what’s around him,gives the ball away time after time at both ends of the field amd he needs 3 or 4 clear cut chances to score 1 goal not the kind of return Newcastle should be looking for.
shirts
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:37 PM
Comment #21Maybe Oba’s having trouble because he’s getting no service and hasn’t had a second striker to play off.
Or maybe he’s susceptible to suggestion and Big Sam’s instructions to the defense have been sinking in on him by accident:
BIG SAM: (in a darkened room, swinging his hypnotist’s watch in front of the players) You are all getting very sleepy… Defenders! You must lump the ball forward in the air indiscriminately!
NUFC DEFENDERS CHORUS: (groggily, heavy eyelids) We must lump the ball forward in the air indiscriminately…
OBAFEMI: (eyes wide, drooling) I must lump the ball forward indiscriminately…
MILNER: (Startled from sleep, to N’zogbia) Huh? What? Did Sam say I should dribble around in circles and not pass the ball?
N’ZOGBIA: Je ne sais pas… Eh, Duff, what did le Sam Gros say?
DUFF: Never mind, just keep doing what you’re doing and tell Milner to pass the fecking ball.
N’ZOGBIA: Eh… Je ne sais pas
MILNER: Did Duff say to keep dribbling in circles?
N’ZOBIA: Eh… yes!
Obafan
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Comment #22Oba is by miles the most dangerous striker we’ve seen this season; and that in which he had to play out of position too many times.
Okay perhaps sometimes his shots are too wild or his first touch isn’t that great, but in 90% of the cases he is able to put pressure on the opponents defence.
Look also at the passes that are played to him or the support that he gets.
– Long balls to a small player (the same story also for Owen and Smith)=> very difficutl to do something with those
– He (like against Chelsea) stood always on his own and even than he was able to scare the Chelsea defence.
So by any means, do not sell him, because he will again prove his worth to our team…
Leo
Jan 5, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Comment #23on http://www.football-rumours.com someone wrote this…
Newcastle will back Allardyce but there will not be any Shorey’s coming in until the Summer. Ben Haim for around £2 million will be the first, Dean Ashton can be the biggest name and sum to come to the club, as he will be first choice forward. Talk of a young Brazalian forward nickname the Pitbull, should have fun with Barton, who is on loan from Porto at Vitoria Setubal. Another suprise will be the loan deal for Javier Saviola who is falling down the pecking order and will the perfect replacement for Owen and/or Martins. With limited funds Allardyce may look at Gera of West Bromwich Albion to soarkle up the midfield as well as Robinson at left back so he can let N’Zogbia burst into the midfield. Emre will be shown the door with Dortmund willing to have a go as well as Udinese. Dortmund will be looking to replace Pienaar though they make a swap + cash for the likes of Frei, if they do not get Ashton and/or Philipp Degen in defense. I do not think Dede will be involved, shame tho. Dortmund play in front of 68+ a week so Allardyce sees these players as the ‘unfreezables’ who will settle in at SJP.
The biggest chance to be taken will be for the 32 year old Blaise Isetsima Nkufo who every year scores double figures without any effort at all. Though rarely recognised by the Swiss having only 13 caps he is thought to be a perfect target man for Newcastle. the price should only a small one as he will se this as his ‘chance’. Allardyce COULD come out of this window having spent around £15 million and have five players.
i believe that it was someone from this blog… anyone going to own up to it?
ObaFan2
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:11 PM
Comment #24He has had a poor season so far but he’s the type of player I love to watch, unpredictable and entertaining and I’d be devastated (and I wud need a name change lol probably be BSAisanasole) if we sold him.
We should be building a team not selling (except the dross) but will be interesting to see what happens in the next month. BSA cud sell all the players that were here b4 him and replace with Bolton style players……….or even Bolton players….. ha ha yippee can’t wait.
Newcastlefan
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:20 PM
Comment #25Shoery , Ben Heim , Dean Aston, plus a top creative midfielder ! Why is it clubs never seem to get what they want ? Ben Heim would be a Sam Allardyce move, getting the best out of him, like at Bolton. The rest buys for the futre, even if Sam was no longer around, Buying for the here and now, as well as the future. It’s not rocket science is it.
steve
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:24 PM
Comment #26I don’t think Sam likes him, he’s on the bench as soon as Owen is fit ( not that often ) and think he even prefers slowmo viduka and can’t shoot smith.
Shame if he goes as I reckon he’ll do really well at a team that plays with pace and can actually pass the ball, unfortunately that’ll never be the toon under Sam
Anyone who thinks Berbatov would come to the toon should book themselves into a mental hospital asap before they start to think they can fly.
No doubt we’ll be buying a tall hold the ball type of forward who can hang onto the ball long enough until our useless midfield get into position (prob about 10 mins with current players)
Hadrian
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:25 PM
Comment #27Ive had a feeling all along that sam doesnt rate Oba .
i also think he’s told mort to leave that buyout clause in there .
Oba’s hardly had a fair run at it this season , i blame sam’s management for oba’s poor form .
just looks at the goals to games at the start of the season , then look at them when sam started messing around and dropping him for owen , his confidence took a right knock .
ohh , monaco to come in for emre aswell?
anyone with a hint of flair is tobe sold !!!!
indian toon
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:34 PM
Comment #28CELESTIN BABA HAS BEEN GIVEN A GOOD CONTRACT AT LA GALAXY BY RUDD GUILLIT . NOW THATS WHAT YOU CALL LUCK. ALL HAIL BABA.!!!!
Toon Al
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:36 PM
Comment #29we absolutly cannot sell oba martins..
it would be a disaster i read a comment up there saying swap for berbatov, and another sayin twice the ability but half the price? name one, and by name one i mean a real player, not one of the players that you signed on footy manager and turned up good in 2009.
what makes you think in any way shape or form berbatov would ever consider coming to newcstle in our current state? in the premiership you need pace, full stop. the fact he’s our top scorer doesnt say it all to you? he can creat enough chances to put away one or two here n there, if he gets his finishing improved a little he will be outstanding.
three of the four clubs interested according to this article are above us in the table and the other has just got a new world class manager.. what does that say
JoshI
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:40 PM
Comment #30If Martins or Emre leave id be so pissed off.
toonfan1
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:42 PM
Comment #31just heard that kevin nolan isn’t in the 16 in the FA cup 2day for their match against sheff utd. duno if this could be related to the news about 6 mill bid about him or he could be rested but it gives a slight indication cause they playing a decent team in sheff utd. surpised he not on the bench but hopefully he aint comin to the mighty toon!!
toonfan1
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:43 PM
Comment #32and ben tozer aint playin for swindon either so will he come to newcastle this transfer window u reckon or the summer one?
JoshI
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:45 PM
Comment #33F**k! i bet Nolan comes, if Anelkas not in it then he will be off to Chelsea. We want Arshavin so we get bloody Nolan. Why?
Hadrian
Jan 5, 2008 at 2:50 PM
Comment #34tozer will be here this window id reckon, not sure why he isnt here already .
altho if sam had sense he would prob let him stay out on loan .
nolan… erk nolan ,
sam can wave his job goodbye if he sells the likes of oba and emre and starts bringing in nolan and wes brown , unless we see some cash splashed on a superstar midfielder .
ive got oba’s name on my shirt ffs !! regardless i still wouldnt want him sold .
JoshI
Jan 5, 2008 at 3:06 PM
Comment #35Gattuso is in Glasgow he will sign it’s so exciting nw and huttons is off to Newcastle for £12 million + ameobi also were signing David Murphy for 300,000 and last but not least the signing of the season. Michael Ballack in on loan and maybe one other signing most likely to be Tony hibbert from everton at right. from a reliable source geeeeee emmm #1 W. t. b
Lol who do they think theyr kidding!
steve
Jan 5, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Comment #36Doubt Ashton will be on way to toon, he’s starting today against Man City, although given the fact we’re likely to be knocked out tomorrow it doesn’t really matter if he’s cup tied
toonfan1
Jan 5, 2008 at 3:29 PM
Comment #37lol already 1-1 between spurs and reading!! could be another 6-4 lol
Nev
Jan 5, 2008 at 3:32 PM
Comment #38not had the best season so far … but still are top scorer
will defo get 10prem goals what tbh is still good in the premiership
hes the best striker in are squad, young and will improve with age and should mature
big mistake to sell in my opinion , get rid of owen intead has only played well with shearer and has been pi55 poor this season £10mil to city would be a good deal for us to improve other areas like CB and an attacking minded CM
ObaFan2
Jan 5, 2008 at 4:19 PM
Comment #39If we sold:
Shay,Taylor,Beye,Feye,Zog,Duff,Oba I’d be gutted and would show the club’s/BSA intentions.
If we bought Nolan, Brown or others of the like it would also be very revealing.
Marty
Jan 5, 2008 at 4:43 PM
Comment #40i think al of you that say OBA doesnt have the skill will be eating your words if he goes to another prem club,the guy is gonna be a class act.if we could just get a RIGHT WINGER that can cross the ball….mils was doin the same at villa-sell him i say!!!