Newcastle have brought in Siem de Jong, Jack Colback and Ayoze Perez so far in this transfer window, and if Italian press reports are to be believed today we have agreed a deal to sign Daryl Janmaat of Fetenoord, although Manchester United are reported to be still bidding for the player, and new manager Louis van Gaal has to be a big draw for the current Dutch right back.
Carlos Bacca – would be great signing for Newcastle
But if Newcastle do sign Janmaat it will be another very good signing, and so far we have done quite well in the transfer market.
But – we all knew that the major priority this summer was to bring in some strikers since we lost Shola Ameobi, Loic Remy and Luuk de Jong.
And even though Alan Pardew hinted that Siem is a striker, he prefers the withdrawn striker role, and by his own admission he’s not really an out-and-out striker, but a very good player nonetheless.
It’s just a little worrying that pre-season has already started and we haven’t signed one new striker yet.
And not only that but we have missed out on Bafe Gomis, who signed for Swansea, Pierre Michel Lasogga who preferred to join Hamburg, and if news reports are to be believed – Alexandre Lacazette will only leave Lyon for a club playing in the Champions League.
So we seem to have missed out already on some of our top striker targets, but there are still some others we could go after including Alfred Finnbogason of Heerenveen, Danny Ings of Burnley and Ross McCormack of Leeds – and we have also been linked with Colombian striker Carlos Bacca of Sevilla and Cagliari forward Victor Ibarbo, who was also in the Colombian squad and looked very decent in Brazil.
And just on the off-chance that Lee Charnley is doing something he shouldn’t be doing and reading this thing – he should be far too busy – are there any other strikers we need to be going after?
Let Lee know in the comments. 😀
The players we have brought in so far are good, but we must get at least two top strikers through the door and soon too – and if we can do that then things at Newcastle United may even be looking up.
That would be a welcome change.
What do you think?
Written while on vacation in England.
350 comments so far
Belfast
Jul 7, 2014 at 12:45 PM
Comment #1Wouldn’t think so Ed, he’s probably on holiday again.
Jesus1983
Jul 7, 2014 at 12:58 PM
Comment #2Finnbogason signed for Real Sociedad last week.
mindshaft
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:00 PM
Comment #3As ever with Newcastle, believe nowt until they are holding up the shirt.
I can only presume (or rather hope) something is going on behind the scenes or we’re going to be relegated for sure
Our current defence / attack are just not prem quality
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:02 PM
Comment #4Yeah
we need a forward or two but lets get the defence sorted out if possible – leaked far to many goals over the last two seasons.
68 season 2012-13
59 last season.
Did France’s and Belgium’s defeats in the World Cup remind anyone of the TOON.
Going behind early on and didn’t have a clue how to get back into the game!
SuperShearer
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:08 PM
Comment #5What frustrates me the most is that MA must be able to look at other clubs and see how they are doing it so right and we are doing it so wrong. Two cases in point: Liverpool and Tottenham.
When Spurs sold Bale they kept it quite, went about buying essentially a whole new squad with the money they were getting for Bale before finally announcing his departure but being able to say “Look what we’ve got for the price of him! A whole new squad” – I think the same has happened at
Liverpool, They know Suarez is off and that they’ve bagged somewhere near £80mil for him and have started buying a host of talented players to boost the squad.
MA seems to have no intention of doing this. He waits for clubs to come in with first time offers and takes them! Only with Carroll did they drive the price up. With Cabs it was – “we know he’s off just waiting for bid” – first bid comes in and we take it. Seems to be the same with Debuchy and yet STILL there are no players to have come in to strengthen the squad and appease the fans. It’s plain and simple bad footballing business.
belgrade fan
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:10 PM
Comment #6our defence will be shocking for nexr season. at least to concede 70 goals. and attack we dont even have
croftus5678
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:11 PM
Comment #7fingo-gone to another club
mccormack-nononononono thank you
ibarbo-winger imo and not that great either
ings and bacca fair enough they will improve us tbh but what about cisse/arma/perez/campbell ?
JP...from The Rock
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:12 PM
Comment #8I fear it’s going to be another transfer window full of disappointment. Already pre-season training has started and we have yet to sign any strikers. Some really good ones have had no participation in this WC or are already out of it. We should have made moves already with decent offers and less chit-chattering bullshit that fuel rumours that never end. Once again there have been more outs than ins and at this rate we don’t seem to be able to get those 5-7 players we desperately need at the club to stand a chance of a top 10 let alone Europe. It’s all super slow and depressing with this club every year now.
WLtoon
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:15 PM
Comment #9We,ve got as much chance of sjgning Bacca or Ibarbo as have of winning a cup.
Why bother writing this crap, in fact,lets just stop all the blog bcos its all hype and tripe,thanks to the fat cockney twat.
Cheers Mike.
croftus5678
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:17 PM
Comment #10@supershearer
i disagree tbh.
if ashley is definatly one thing its greedy !
we wasnt going to get anymore for cab’s and it wasnt the first offer in fact it was over 6 month’s of offers.
same with debs “if” this 11-12mil is right then he will be sold overinflated as he’s 29yo now.
non of this matters mind you as hardly anything that is coming in is getting spent 🙁 and if debs’ is sold then we have yet again made a profit from inc/outgoings in wages and fee’s even though we are 80m+ in the green lol
toonarmydownsouth
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:20 PM
Comment #11Croftus from previous
Haven’t seen much of Janmaat apart from the WC but been reading a few scout reports since being linked and by all accounts he’s very very strong in the air
Tbf he sounds a great replacement, we’re never going to replace Debuchy with equal quality as imo he’s one of the best RB’s in Europe atm but at 25 he certainly seems a good player with a great future ahead
SuperShearer
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:21 PM
Comment #12@Croftus – that was kind of my point. It’s annoying seeing a club like Liverpool, who we were above only a few seasons ago, able to do things so well. They have the kind of owners I would love us to have. They’re willing to splash the cash IF the circumstances are right. Ours seems happy to under-sell our stars and then pocket it all with the response of “A lot of money we spend on agents etc” – hugely disheartening.
Scottiedog
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:22 PM
Comment #13@5
Not sure if Liverpool & Tottenham are good examples to be honest!!
Yes spurs got lucky on Bale but they have blown £100m on players that are really no good and will be sold again! Liverpool paid how much for Carroll?? Yes they are now getting good signings now but again £25m for Lallana is a bit over the top price wise!?!?
We are being blown out of the water by top clubs paying over the top money for average players, so to be honest I do not blame MA for not paying over the odds.
toonarmydownsouth
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:24 PM
Comment #14WLtoon
Ibarbo? A big lump with a sh1te scoring record, sounds like we’ve got every chance of signing him
If you don’t like the blog surely it’s simple….don’t read it
Shaker Shakrah
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:25 PM
Comment #15No no not that one in the Pic !!!!!
peteb
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:30 PM
Comment #16Hope we get Zaha
I ususally view articles and post on the Blog from iPhone iPad.
Every time I try to do so I get directed to the Apple App Store and some random app which it wants me to download. Very frustrating…..anybod else have the same issue.
Can anything be done about this.
Many Thanks
Scottiedog
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:37 PM
Comment #17@ 16
Me to!! Everytime I log in on my phone it either says I have 15 viruses or wants me to download a dodgy app!!
Toon Tang
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:46 PM
Comment #18Get the Bender twins in for chuffs sakes…
martoon
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:56 PM
Comment #19Like most others I dislike the way that Ashley runs NUFC and especially the free advertising for SD and association with Wonga. However some people’s blind hatred of him sees to be getting in the way of the facts. Comments like ‘more money in Ashley’s back pocket’ are ridiculous. The money goes into the business NUFC and accounts have shown that MA has only ever taken back £11m of his original £140m loan – he doesn’t even pay himself a salary. Admittedly he might take back some more of his loan this year but the way people talk it is like Debuchy’s transfer fee will be paid directly to him!
jesperfuglsang - captain of the lemon crew
Jul 7, 2014 at 1:58 PM
Comment #20We have signed our forward in Siem since Pardue seem to think that’s his best position 😉
…prepare for another loan deal for Luuk!
LGFUAD21
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:01 PM
Comment #21toonarmydownsouth
Dig a little deeper on Ibarbo.
Very good dribbler, fast. Very good on the ball. predominantly a winger. Better record than HBA from the wing. Likes to make runs into the box. Wins a lot of second balls.
Better work rate than HBA.
Less flash, more effective. Oh and only about 50% of his appearances were actually starts.
LGFUAD21
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:02 PM
Comment #22martoon
THANK YOU.
Do you know how many times I’ve tried to explain that on here.
Just because he owns the business, does not mean he can take whatever money there is coming into it.
Markaccus
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:19 PM
Comment #23Martoon
Exactly. In reality he doesn’t actually take much in the way of cash out of the club, which makes it even more frustrating when he doesn’t spend it on a few decent players.
toonarmydownsouth
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:23 PM
Comment #24LGFUAD
We have 0 goals in the team
So let’s say 15 starts out of 30 games last season, 4 goals is hardly a record to boast is it?
Just an opinion but what will he bring? Still less goals from wide than goofy
How many assists does the lad get? (Seriously as I have no idea!)
He’s quick on the ball with good feet, great, so’s Obertan
Doesn’t mean much if there’s no end product, which his record suggests there isn’t
toonarmydownsouth
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:26 PM
Comment #25martoon
Well put but not strictly true, he’s put himself on the board now so will take a salary
And you’ve pointed out, free advertising coupled with outsourcing the club shop and club shop website is as good as taking money out the club
Whumpie
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:34 PM
Comment #26Er… yes, he can take what he likes; it’s called a dividend.
But all that is missing the point. He’s not interested in a few tens of millions; he’s doing what he’s doing to up his net worth, which went up nearly a billion since he bought the club.
Three things would knacker this very nice little earner for him, and we can do nothing about the first two but everything about the last one:
1. Relegation (revenues plummet)
2. Qualification for Europe (leads to item 1 or lots of expense. Or both.)
3. Loss of income from tickets, merch and (indirectly) TV. (Breaks the whole model as he’d be better off just paying for advertising.)
So – every time you pay for a ticket, a shirt or (hate to say it) a ping in a pub (which goes towards the Sky subs which come back to the club as TV revenue) you are supporting Ashley’s model.
Stop doing it, or put up with perpetual mid-table mediocrity as Ashley’s advertising whore. Simple as.
Whumpie
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:35 PM
Comment #27A ping? What does a ping cost these days?
Ahem.
“Pint”. 🙂
Markaccus
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:40 PM
Comment #28Whumpie
I can’t even go out for a pint because of NUFC now?!?!
:-O :-O :-O
Whumpie
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:42 PM
Comment #29I know. Cuts deep, bro…
Whumpie
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:46 PM
Comment #30TBH, I don’t think many will stay out of the pubs – although web streams are pretty decent now. But if Sky see empty stadia then they’ll choose other clubs to televise. If pubs see low revenues during matches, they’ll think twice about Sky’s (obscene) subs, which will reduce the value of the next TV deal.
Sadly that last element is the biggest and we can only have a 5% impact on that at best (i.e. 1 of 20 clubs.) But to just keep handing over hundreds of pounds to the club every season while claiming it doesn’t help keep Ashley here is just a huge ostrich job. Pisses me off.
Markaccus
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:47 PM
Comment #31If every geordie suddenly stopped drinking in pubs, the economy would be destroyed.
beermonkey
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:50 PM
Comment #32whumpie
are you really suggesting I don’t go to the pub,
I think you are going to far
LGFUAD21
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:54 PM
Comment #33toonarmydownsouth
It was 10 starts with 4 goals and 2 assists predominantly from the wing.
Not the greatest record and too few games to decide consistency.
But you name another player we have that can play on the left of a front 3 and do better?
At risk of fanning flames re: MA
“Well put but not strictly true, he’s put himself on the board now so will take a salary
And you’ve pointed out, free advertising coupled with outsourcing the club shop and club shop website is as good as taking money out the club”
The man invested £100 odd million into the club. Without which we would likely still be playing in the Championship. Do you not think you can understand him getting a bit of value out of it for himself.
Put it this way. MA offers you 2 proposals:
a) Take all the money owed to him by the club out and then start paying perhaps £5m a year in for the advertising. We loose £100 odd million and gain £20 over 4 years.
or b)
Leave his £100 odd mil in the club, interest free preserving our cashflow and ability to transfer players and as a result we miss out on £5m/year on advertising.
I just think you have to be a bit more diplomatic about these things.
I disagree with how he runs the club. But he is far from the crook he is made out on here.
Markaccus
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:55 PM
Comment #34Actually, the sky subs cover spannish football, European Rugby, Cricket, Golf, et.c so even though the prem is probably the main bulk of the bill, it will be an insignificant amount by the time it is distributed between clubs. I think Whumpies point about shirts tickets and stuff bought in the ground is more valid, as i think he is suggesting himself,anyway.
martoon
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:57 PM
Comment #35Whumpie & TADS – Yes I know he can pay himself but the point is he hasn’t so far. It will be interesting to see the next accounts to see if that changes now he is on the board but I suspect even if he does it will be no where near the ridiculous amount that Shepherd paid himself.
Can I be clear I’m no Ashley lover and would love to see him sell but on the other hand I hate it when I see absolute rubbish with no basis what so ever written on this blog.
Markaccus
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:57 PM
Comment #36And i for one don’t go to the pub/club just for sport, and many people who do go are not interested at all.
LGFUAD21
Jul 7, 2014 at 2:57 PM
Comment #37Whumpie
Yes you do get dividends but these have to be published annually. And dividends are not guaranteed. Sometimes companies decide it is in their best interests to leave the money in the business.
Markaccus
Jul 7, 2014 at 3:01 PM
Comment #38And finally…. the sky bubble is beginning to burst re the footy. Bigger and bigger clubs are starting to struggle with money. Pubs and clubs often have alternative satalite systems in now. Sky have tried and failed to stop them.
martoon
Jul 7, 2014 at 3:06 PM
Comment #39LGFUAD21 @33 – That is actually the way I see it – I hate all the SD advertising around the ground but consider it a necessary evil for his interest free loan.Actually I don’t understand why SD became Oldham shirt sponsor – you would have thought it made more sense to be on a Premiership shirt like ours – they already get free stadium advertising. SD as shirt sponsor is slightly better than Wonga in my humble opinion.
toonarmydownsouth
Jul 7, 2014 at 3:12 PM
Comment #40martoon
I know he hasn’t so far, he only put himself in the board at the end if the season!
LGFUAD
I’d say the money diverted to his other companies through the advertising and club shop (the companies which he just awarded himself massive bonuses in) have easily surpassed any funding out into the club from him
As for still being in the championship let’s not forget a) he put us there and b) the loan figure would be less than half if hadn’t seen us relegated
On Ibarbo
He’s 24 not an up and coming player his stats haven’t really altered over the last 3 seasons in fact they seem to be using him less
Who’s more effective at the club? Well sadly Gouffran had better stats and he was playing from midfield!
Sorry not impressed in the slightest with this lad much better players out there for £8-9 million fee quoted