Some extremely bad news being reported tonight, that Pablo Aimar has signed for Portuguese giants Benfica.
 Kevin Keegan – go to plan B boss
So any hopes (and we had some earlier today) that he would be coming to Newcastle seem to be dead, and to say the very least it is very disappointing.
Setanta Sports, who are of course a credible news source, are reporting that Benfica have agreed a fee of €7.5M (£5.9M) with Pablo’s club Real Zaragoza, and it goes on to say Aimar will be officially unveiled on Thursday, pending the successful completion of a medical.
Aimar is quoted as saying:
“Fortunately, I have always been able to choose where to play in my career.”
“I had other offers, but I always wanted Benfica,”
We suppose this is another player to cross off the list, and it’s not good news at all. The Daily Mirror this morning had an exclusive, in which we had thought they had some inside information, and they reported that Newcastle were on the verge of signing the player.
But this has turned out not to be the case, and we had also thought (hoped) that having just signed Argentine, Jonas Gutierrez would have helped to persuade Aimar to come to Tyneside.
This news may also not be true of course, so we’ll just have to hope something may still happen, but this summer for Newcastle fans, has been a bit tough, to say the least.
But we have to assume Newcastle were one of the clubs in the mix for the star Argentine, and he didn’t want to come.
As we said this morning, attracting players to Newcastle, after two disastrous seasons, is not easy, and Kevin has to start at the bottom – again.
This doesn’t help matters one little bit, but we will have to try to keep the faith.
Kevin and the management team will need to move to plan B, and create a plan C, just in case, if they don’t already have one.
The road back for Newcastle will have its up and downs – and they’re usually downs at the start – which is what we are seeing now.
Also, we have again noticed with the comments on the site, that there are too many fans of other clubs coming on the site and making inappropriate comments.
There mustn’t be much going on at their clubs – or else they are just fascinated with the Magpies.
If any readers come on this site with obvious fictitious IDs for their e-mails, so we cannot contact them, as more than a few have done today, they will be banned from making comments on the site.
Comments are still welcome on this bad news – but please keep them civil.
375 comments so far
Oba
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Comment #1What did I say. Oh yeah, LIES.
The Mirror reported it. It’s bound to be a lie.
alex
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Comment #2perhaps his wage demands were to high and we just said no?
it’s not the end of the world.
AndyNUFC
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:32 PM
Comment #3Pfft, maybe i’m being stupid but, this silence from the club… mixed with the fact our hopes get built up and up… then killed, doesn’t exactly give me confidence in the club. I’d like even just a statement to communicate with us about recent speculation and even the type of players we’re after, it’s just not good enough if they want people to renew season tickets.
geordiegraham
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Comment #4FFS MAN!
euanpolo
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:34 PM
Comment #5As I said on Setanta the Premier League boat only comes once, or twice if you’re lucky and never comes back. As far as I’m concerned Aimar’s career is sunk. He may as well retire now! Then again if the reports are untrue, then he might still be able to catch the ferry, although I doubt he’ll get a decent seat! Yes I am angry so lets go to plan B and deny that we were ever interested in him!
sweendog
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:36 PM
Comment #6this is more confirmation
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=779440
donegal toon
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:39 PM
Comment #7i dont know why it says “extremely dissapointing” news, for i for one im not extremely dissapointed but not because i dont rate aimar, theres obvious potential to be worked on , but because there was never any indication whatsoever to suggest newcastle were even in for him, how can you become so emotionally involved over the possible transfer of a player we unofficailly were never in for?
i think when were linked with players some of you should stop giving them the legendary status just becasue their name was mentioned to us in the paper
Guiterrez – no one saw it
Guthrie – no one saw it
theres a pattern here
Danny
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:39 PM
Comment #8I hate the Daily Mirror… they disgust me… bringing innocent fans hopes up like that.
“Exclusive bla bla bla…” I hope your paper printing machine dies and u go bankrupt!!!
That said, too bad, he would’ve been great..
mr_flibbles
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:40 PM
Comment #9I think we all agreed he was too old to be the outright solution to the creative center midfielder role. I will not take this as bad news that he hasnt signed because i think there is just as good a player out there that are also much younger.
Aimar is not the player he was, his side were relegated so he wasnt playing for a huge team anyway. There is a good reason for this- he isnt good enough.
We will get the creative player we need, and i think it will be a better solution than Aimar you watch.
Also just thought i’d mention my continuing anger that Alan Smith is still a Newcastle United player.
ToonTinka
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:40 PM
Comment #10Haway Kev, go out and get us a gem of a creative midfielder, Aimar was past his best anyway.
Jay
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Comment #11Yet another failure by Newcastle. Maybe we will have to make do with the £1 million of talent that we have signed so far.
gordond
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Comment #12Gutted but life goes on 🙁 i trust in KK he will deliver the goods
Midjew
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Comment #13KNEW this would happen.
oh well, maybe it was just a ploy for benfica to fork out more money
Smells like Ghoti
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Comment #14yes but the club is always silent until it is released officially by the club. we can always speculate and dream. but in reality people are not gonna sign. we are not in europe and kk is fantastic though outside of england not many will have heard of him now. what he can do is still a belief into the current players that they can do the job. though i hope otherwise. altering a team normally takes a season to adjust. i think. thats’s where the youth policy comes in. i think the club is trying to grow talent through youth and then introduce the sucesses into the 1st team and sell the rest to the wolves. tell me if u think im wrong 😉
Danny
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:46 PM
Comment #15I do have faith in KK, i really do, i just dont have faith in how MA wants to go around with his business when it comes to players and contract talks…
Patrick
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:46 PM
Comment #16Like I said in another post, let’s just watch nufc.co.uk!
Glenn
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:48 PM
Comment #17He’s only a little bloke, last thing we need is another stumpy, lightweight skillful midfielder unsuited to premiership football who would look brilliant in Spain or Italy, we should have just kept Emre if thats what we wanted.
Steeley
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:48 PM
Comment #18Im not particularly fussed that he wont be coming to Newcastle, but what does bother me is that yet another player has turned the club down (despite us having offered (supposedly!) a much bigger fee – and obviously therefore a bigger signing on fee).
Perhaps KK doesnt have the draw that he used to!
By the way Ed, I think its highly unfair to have a go at the redtops for printing such stuff and getting all the fans hopes up, for you to then go and do exactly that by writing even more suggestive articles on your site! People in glass houses, and all that….
donegal toon
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:48 PM
Comment #19i dont think thats true look at harry redknapp, every imterview i read of that guy he’s spilling the beans on who he wants, which is kinnda stupid really, but managers do do these things, Southgate too the ..–..–
ToonTinka
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:50 PM
Comment #20I ain’t to bothered about Aimar, I just can’t remember a time when so many players are to have knocked us back…
I hope are luck changes and soon
Irish toon9
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:51 PM
Comment #21If we wer in for aimar im gutted he never signed if not and its a smokescreen den kev has some1 in mind for a AM that we are crying out for! @donegal toon where are u in donegal..not many of us in donegal
Anth
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:51 PM
Comment #22guys never mind us geordies who have been around few years, know everything is not plain sailing with the club, i remember us nearly singing a 17 year called torres but fat fred wouldnt pay 3 million for him, we want people who want to come and fight for the shirt id have players who had 70% desire and effort and 30% skill at this club any day, we got to be very optimistic this season i mean i cant go any worse than the past few years
Soren
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Comment #23Hmm. A shame if we didn’t sign him, but not the end of the world.
In other news. I know its just gossip, but we are apparently ready to sell Krul to Chelsea! :s
http://www.skysports.com/football/transfer_clockwatch/0,23710,14896,00.html
On Skysports papertalk.
I for one dont believe it, as I think he will be our next super goalie.
And in totally unrelated news, the new film Hancock rocks! 🙂
Macca
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Comment #24Why does everyone keep complaining about renewing season tickets? Not telling fans about potential transfer targets is simply not to alert other clubs.
If you were a season ticket holder, you would know the deadline has past for season tickets. Rethink your comments please.
sweendog
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Comment #25Not to worry .. if his agents were discussing terms with Newcastle it all came down to money .. would rather have a younger player looking to prove something.
DC Toon
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Comment #26There are other players out available so this is not the end of the world. All I care about is that we have signed some creative midfielder by the start of the season. It doesn’t have to be Aimar, it doesn’t have to Arsharvin, it doesn’t have to be VDV, it just has to be someone. Arda still hasn’t moved, etc. Have faith guys. It may take some time but I would rather we get players who are quality and who want to play for the Toon. As BSA demonstrated last summer, signing a whole mess of players is not the way to build a sucessful team.
toon4lyf
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Comment #27emre dd amasing when fit so if its another one of him nat injury proe ad be happy
aimar is a great player he was injured when they most of there season im sikined wer missin out on him
knobsack phil
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Comment #28totally gutted. My only hope is that we were not in for him at all, and were working on other targets. I really had a feeling this morning we would sign someone, and when saw reports thought it would come true.
Lets hope it was a smakescreen and the real player will be announced tomorrow.
Jim
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:54 PM
Comment #29Personally, I’m quite pleased this didn’t happen because I think the guys best years are behind him.
If he was ‘all that’, he’d have been in much more demand. Unfortunately, it does highlight NUFC’s diminished pulling power and emphasises, I think, our need to pay a bit more to convince the better player to gamble with the Toon and KK. If we can build momentum from that, January will prove an easier window to convince the professional ‘player’ to sign. I’m not suggesting we do a Leeds but we really have to aim for a minimum top 8 to push on from and that, in our position, takes hard cash above desire to play for the club. Sad, but true.
Our true commitment will surface come September. After that it’ll be guts and glory. I don’t want to bring Argentinian capability on that front in to disrepute, what with Jonas and all but there’s a bit of history on that ‘front’. Ha’way the Lads!
And Ed:
“…Keegan, Wise and the rest of the recruitment team have done one fabulous job in getting Aimar – a great great signing for the club.”
Have a word with yourself.
Any comment?
donegal toon
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Comment #30@ irish toon9
don’t i just know
A little rural village right beside the northern border tragically
ToonTimbo
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Comment #31I have to stress this is my opinion!!
I think KK is signing (or trying should i say) lots of argentines because he has his eye on the next big argentine ‘wonderkid’ and having argentins will help him settle in!! Just a wish though!! Sergio Aguero would be nice lol!!!
We have had scouts n SA havent we 😉
Daniel
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Comment #32We were in for him, he agreed terms yesterday, today we decided not to honour the agreement. Same happened with Inler. His agent flew back out at 6pm today
It was all agreed, but Benfica were reportedly the ones that leaked it
Bosck
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Comment #33now i dont want to start of ashley bashing as i am 100% behind the man but if the supposedly reliable source i’ve found, which i believe might have been matt’s source for the mirror scoop yesterday, is to be believed the deal broke down over wage demands as aimar was more than happy to sign, and this was supposedly the problem with the imler transfer as well. bit disappointed if thats true but still 100% behind what ma and team are trying to do.
Loons
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Comment #34To be honest, I am very pleased that for the first time in a long time my club is acting like a ‘big’ club. Not like the Fat Fred days of being on the tele every day telling us ‘it’s never dull at Newcastle’.
Have the club ever said we were signing Aimar? No? Just a bunch of lazy hacks and an agent wanting to create a market.
Ashley has not put this management team in to fail. So try and sit back and be proud that we have a management team that actually works professionally.
The signings will come. The right ones. And the club will let us know when they are here!
Piers
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Comment #35We can’t attract any big talents. Definately not the club we used to be……..so disappointed. Who are we going to get now? We were supposedly going to spend upwards of 30 million pounds for this summer transfer season…..we have two players with a grand total of 5 mill. Wow great job.
sweendog
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:58 PM
Comment #36My predictions before the end of next week for transfers are, Turan, Fernandez, Cuellar .. all can be got .. I’m sure KK has singled these ones out, as for the rest we’ve been linked with .. ie Aimar, these were always good players at good prices but not the no 1 targets.. probably Wises list not KK’s
donegal toon
Jul 16, 2008 at 10:59 PM
Comment #37Did i not just read on wiki that fernandez has a buy out clause of 50 mill euro or is that BS
Tom_Toon
Jul 16, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Comment #38Daniel and Bosck where are you getting this from?
Gutted if that is true about Inler but not at all bothered about Aimar.
ToonTimbo
Jul 16, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Comment #39Im in love with Matias Fernandez and dearly wish him to sign but its there any credible evidence that we are even interested in him!!
And Tom Toon – Theyre probably 1 off spurs fans!!
Nick
Jul 16, 2008 at 11:02 PM
Comment #40lads come on this is daily mail we must learn to take things with pinch of salt, i aint saying aimar is out of our range anything but. However these are the people who brought you the EXCLUSIVE Bin Laden meeting. Would haev loved to see him in the prem could of been awesome foil for Owen and Martins etc.
Besides there is still ages left in the window and lots more Aimar like stories, adds some variety 🙂