News tonight that Blackburn Rovers have completed the signing of Leon Best from Newcastle, for a fee that’s being reported to be over £3M.
Leon Best – scoring against QPR last season
Leon has signed a four year deal at Blackburn, and the personal terms are understood to be very good for the 25 year-old former Southampton and Coventry striker.
Best did quite well at Newcastle, and in a total of 42 appearances he scored 10 goals, and he looked a good striker, who could put the ball in the back of the net.
His best performance for Newcastle was in January of 2010 against West Ham at St. James’ Park, when he hit a hat trick in his starting debut in the Premier League – not too bad.
A statement on the Blackburn website read as follows:
“Blackburn Rovers have this evening completed the signing of Leon Best from Newcastle United. The 25-year-old striker makes the move from the North East to the North West for a fee of more than £3m, signing a four-year deal.”
It’s very unusual for a club to state the size of the fee, but we suppose it’s a message to the Blackburn fans, that they want to put a side together that can go straight back up to the Premier League.
It was a done deal as long as Leon passed his medical, which he seems to have done, and he decided to drop down a division to play at Blackburn, where he will no doubt be hoping to help Blackburn get promoted next season, at the first attempt.
Best will wear the number 9 shirt at Blackburn, and seems to be a direct replacement for Yakubu, who has followed Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka to China, and signed for Guangzhou R&F recently, on a three-year deal.
We wish Leon Best all the very best of luck at Blackburn Rovers.
Comments welcome.
146 comments so far
No Plain Saylor
Jul 3, 2012 at 1:10 AM
Comment #121Look we’ve been talkin to twente for what 4 days? You don’t send people over and spend that long. Something is up. I wouldn’t be supriaed if we were asking about roseles for rb, leroy fer for midfield and obviously douglas and luuk. I think charnley and llambias are being kept up to date on our other potential signings as to know what kind of budget they have to work with in negotiations with twente. I think we’re attempting to shop around and get the beat value, lookin to maximize the number of quality players comin in while not gettin overly attached to pursing any individual. Like if we sign hoilett for free tomorrow that’s a great addition to the front 3, a d twente still holdin out on luuk maybe they drop him and go in for gameiro, guidetti, castaignos, morata, all cheaper.. all talented. Expect us to come back from holland with minimum 2 players, out of douglas, luuk de jong, roberto rosales, leroy fer, vernun anita.. would love leroy fer, exactly what we need.
No Plain Saylor
Jul 3, 2012 at 1:28 AM
Comment #122If we got ogbonna, clyne, leroy fer, hoilett and gamiero, that’s cb, rb, cm, lw + st covered oldest player out of all of them is what 26 so fits the bill. All cost around 20 mill combined… if we fail qith douglas, de jong, anita and debuchy that’s some plan b innit!
Twatter
Jul 3, 2012 at 1:39 AM
Comment #123@No Plain Saylor – I doubt we’ll be getting all of either of those groups of players you suggested, remember this is NUFC, the NUFC owned by The Fat Controller you’re talking about. I think we’ll only get three players maximum, but hey, who knows…
LGFUAD21
Jul 3, 2012 at 1:54 AM
Comment #124I’d personally rather have Gameiro than De Jong at the difference in price.
Fair enough he shunned us last season but that was to go to PSG who most people expected to win the title this season.
De Jong looks great but at that price from a reported £20m budget i’d rather go for something a little cheaper. Cant see how we can offer him what he wants in terms of playing time etc.
Not to be a negger but if he signs I think it is quite a good indicator that Ba is offski. Why else would we spend that amount, or bid, for a 3rd striker (not 3rd choice necessarily but a 3rd)
Im still gonan go with my theory that it is a smokescreen while we steal Hoillett.
My ideal window.
Debuchy (and keep Simmo as backup)
Hoillett
Gameiro (had a ‘poor’ season, still clocked 11 goals and 2 assists)
Luc Castaignos (purely because Liverscum fans seem convinced he is there’s)
Vurnon Anita (versatile and well rounded as a player)
FootballPsycho
Jul 3, 2012 at 2:29 AM
Comment #125GeordieToon89
I think you have just found the missing piece to my conspiracy jigsaw. When Pardew on BBC Radio Newcastle said that he was interested in signing a “close pal” of Cabaye’s, he never said who. This was probably because he knew everyone would assume it was Debuchy as we had been linked with him prior and his friendship was very well publicised. Maybe the close pal is Mirallas, which would explain the Luuk de Jong smokescreen, and Debuchy is the smokescreen for Rosales, and Douglas could be the smokescreen for Alderweireld; the rumours about him have gone quite cold haven’t they…hmmm…and Gameiro would just arrive without a smokescreen shield under the radar.
Twatter
Jul 3, 2012 at 3:03 AM
Comment #126It’s all smoke and mirrors at Fat Mike’s Mystic Emporium…
chris_g
Jul 3, 2012 at 5:23 AM
Comment #127GeordieToon89 & FootballPsycho
Great minds think alike 🙂 I also thought that Mirallas might be the real target, and mentioned it a few weeks ago on one of the other blogs
Chris G says:
May 13, 2012 at 01:37
Andy @45
You never know, it might even be three good friends who could be with us
Hazard said: “At that time, Yohan was close to Kevin Mirallas another Belgian player, and eventually, I got closer to them.”
Interestingly, Mirallas is a player we’ve been linked with already and he certainly looks to be the type of guy we’d be after:
http://www.goal.com/en/news/596/exclusive/2012/02/23/2923369/newcastle-everton-among-four-premier-league-sides-in-race-for-6m-
redondo77
Jul 3, 2012 at 5:28 AM
Comment #128http://www.nufcfans.co.uk/former-toon-star-considers-nuwfc-sponsorship/
how to donate NUWFC?
ROSHAN MAGPIE
Jul 3, 2012 at 5:46 AM
Comment #129I am sick of this de jong saga I am damm sure that no one will pay more than 10million pounds for a forward whose contract ends next season if I was in place of Derek I would have said this is our last offer accept it or f off
ROSHAN MAGPIE
Jul 3, 2012 at 5:48 AM
Comment #130ha ha
ROSHAN MAGPIE
Jul 3, 2012 at 5:50 AM
Comment #131I am sick of this de jong saga I am damm sure that no one will pay more than 10million pounds for a forward whose contract ends next season if I was in place of Derek I would have said this is our last offer accept it or buzz off
davybtoon
Jul 3, 2012 at 7:05 AM
Comment #132Like the smokescreen theory I certainly wouldn’t b suprised If we got Rosales instead of debuchy n mirallas I stead of de Jong
Douglas is our main reason for talks with twente I reckon
FloridaToon
Jul 3, 2012 at 7:36 AM
Comment #133No new de Jong or Douglas news? Something odd going on.
redondo77
Jul 3, 2012 at 7:40 AM
Comment #134davyb
I’m thinking the same thing as you are.
Our targets on papers are high profile targets and other clubs already know our transfer success last season, they will try to outbid our targets. Our real targets will be players unknown and no publicity. I don’t think that DeJong will be joining, probably Douglas. If Lille accept 6m bid then Debuchy will also join.
Whistler
Jul 3, 2012 at 7:44 AM
Comment #135I think some are reading too much into rumour and speculation on here….smokescreens? conspiracies? been reading too many John Le Carre novels have we?
FloridaToon
Jul 3, 2012 at 7:52 AM
Comment #136Maybe DL has been waiting on the Best money before finalizing the fee for de jong and douglas.
toons4eva
Jul 3, 2012 at 7:55 AM
Comment #137guys…..the player we need to get is lery fer..he is much better than anita….and he has played with tim krul in u 21 that willhelp him get here….also he has pace strength and is a good dribbler and he s not in the starting eleven of twente as he often comes as a sub……jus like tiote was…..think there is a bargain there………
Valci
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:01 AM
Comment #138@Whistler
Hehe…i agree mate. I don’t think everything is being done “cloak and dagger” style either although some speculation is bound to come true. It’s 50-50 really and it’s all in good fun.
To add my own opinion to the speculation i’d say we get Debuchy and probably Douglas (if it isnt tied to de Jong). I hope we also get Anita who would be great next to Tiote in a 4-2-3-1 (i’m biased towards that style). I don’t belive we will get de Jong and personally i don’t rate him anywhere near 15mil so i wouldnt mind the club pulling out after a rejected 10-12mil bid (if that is true).
Personally i would like us to bring in Toivonen as per the rumor a few days ago. At 5-6mil he is a bargain. He has the presence and heading ability of AC plus better first touch, technique and pace.
FloridaToon
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:07 AM
Comment #139Link below says 14 mil euro bid rejected by FC Twente for de jong and we will look for someone else.
ttp://www.elfvoetbal.nl/nieuws/196699_newcastle-heeft-genoeg-van-fc-twente-en-de-jong
Indian Magpie
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:14 AM
Comment #140I say DL should Gift mclaren or their MD an Umbrella and come on home
Ben3arfa
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:17 AM
Comment #141Mark Douglas both Douglas and Luuk De Jong deals are both set to hit the rocks
Mark Douglas ?@MsiDouglas
Not looking good on de Jong OR Douglas,I’m afraid. But Cisse WILL be with #nufc for pre-season after Olympic call blocked. More in Journal
jesperfuglsang
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:20 AM
Comment #142NUFC wants value for their money and they want the best deal possible; it is hard to imagine that de Jong, 21 of age, haven’t been Twente’s #9 for a year, will cost NUFC £ 15 mil is the best deal possible and most value for their money???
The same could be said about Douglas; both DL and LC will know that if they wait until nest summer they can get him for free and maximize their profit with £ 5 mil, if rumors are true.
…for those reason’s alone I cannot see any of these deals happening – not saying I would mind if they did 😉
jesperfuglsang
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:23 AM
Comment #143Is this Mark Douglas sitting at the table whenever NUFC is negotiating a deal? 😉
…he seems to know a awful lot about nothing!
Indian Magpie
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:24 AM
Comment #144Jesper
what if because of it we finish 2 positions lower and fail to qualify for Europa, all the profits are equalised.
jesperfuglsang
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:41 AM
Comment #145Indian
all that is just speculations; what if we spend that much and finish 10th?
…there are no guarantees mate 😉
jesperfuglsang
Jul 3, 2012 at 8:45 AM
Comment #146Indian
you could also ask yourself if we could gt a +15 goalscorer for less than £ 15 mil? or if Douglas will get us the +5 goals a season we need not let alone safeguard Krul better?
…I am not so sure about Douglas. Just my opinion.