There was news last night that Newcastle have inquired about their former center-back target Douglas, who we were after three years ago when he was still at FC Twente.
Newcastle had a deal all agreed to sign the free agent two years ago, before Joe Kinnear came in as Director of Football and nixed the deal, which led to the then Managing Director Derek LLambias leaving the club.
Chancel Mbemba – are Newcastle interested in this center-back
We are after Aleksandar Mitrovic of Anderlecht, and both he and his center-back colleague Chancel Mbemba are being left out of the practice games as the Belgian club prepares for the Jupiler Pro League starting up a week on Saturday.
Mbemba has been linked with Newcastle this season, and some big clubs like Atletico Madrid, Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg have also been interested in the player.
If he is being held back from playing, there must be a deal close with one of those clubs.
But today in Belgium there is a report that Newcastle have inquired about the 6ft DR Congo International defender, who is 26, although there are some arguments about his age and some insist he is just 21.
So we may even be after two Anderlecht players.
It seems strange that Newcastle would only now be linked with more interest in Mbemba, after negotiating a deal for Mitrovic for a couple of weeks – but not impossible.
With the news on Douglas and Steve McClaren saying we are getting close on a few targets, surely we need to bring in a good center-back soon.
We would be happy enough if Newcastle can bring in Douglas – a story we reported on last night.
Other center-backs we have been linked with this year are 23 year-old Joel Matip of Schalke and 23 year-old Joel Veltman of Ajax.
Getting one of those four center-backs in soon would be a good start to fixing our very leaky defense, which has conceded 190 goals in the Premier League over the last three seasons.
That’s an average of just over 63 goals every season – and that’s pathetic when you think we conceded only 59 goals in our relegation season in 2009.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
25 comments so far
Jail for Ashley
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:45 AM
Comment #1Ashley Out!
Toon-Prodigy
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:45 AM
Comment #2Aye, let’s sort this defence out. Becoming inpatient now.
1 signing in 6 weeks or so is not good considering the time we have had to prepare. We are lucky there are still any targets left.
beermonkey
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:49 AM
Comment #3jazzy
not sure why we only seem to do one at a time
it does seem were dragging our feet,
but I think overall the window seems to be a bit slow apart from liverpool
Jib
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:50 AM
Comment #4We have been linked in the Spanish press with
Papy Mison Djilobodji a 27 year old Senegalese center-half who plays for Nantes.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:51 AM
Comment #5Got a funny feeling that the TOON will make progress/sign someone today.
fingers crossed
toon kk
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:54 AM
Comment #6I can’t see any more signings to the lads get back from America, but it will be hard attracting quality player’s to the club. What have we got to offer them? Apart from money and a good chance of a relegation battle.
Think about it.
King Colback
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:56 AM
Comment #7This is a headline I have been waiting to see at fcuking last
Jail for Ashley
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:56 AM
Comment #8TP,
You can hardly blame our impatience, all the other relegation candidates of last year have made some decent signings and that’s without their shady owners going public to mention horses and carts. Even the mackems have got a couple in, considering we didn’t make a solitary purchase in January and have let five first team plsyers leave in between our last signing of last summer and Wijnaldum.
John Tudor
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:57 AM
Comment #9Plastic newcastle fans out!!!!!!!
Offkey
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:58 AM
Comment #10Just over 3 weeks until the first game, we do need to get moving.
Novocastrian66
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:58 AM
Comment #11Hey Charlie, I’ve got a funny feeling too. Only thing is I think we will not sign anyone today or tomorrow for that matter.
optimistic prime
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:00 AM
Comment #12Looks like my prediction of Mitrovich Wednesday didn’t come true.
Can Charnley do multiply targets?
Offkey
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:02 AM
Comment #13He struggles dealing with both a crossword and a cup of coffee on a morning, I doubt he can negotiate on multiple deals.
optimistic prime
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:02 AM
Comment #14JFA
The longer it drags on, the more a feeling of De ja vue creeps up.
The rehashing of Douglas stories etc isn’t filling me with confidence either.
Novocastrian66
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:03 AM
Comment #15DeJong has said McClaren wants wants us to be playing out from the back. With our dodgy centre halfs that would be catastrophic.
lesh
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:04 AM
Comment #16Repost but relevant to this thread:
It’s water under the bridge but the appointment of and board support for Carver did the Club’s reputation no good at all.
It smacked of short-sighted amateurism and now we’re paying the price.
It’ll take time to recover from that debacle and the likes of Mitrovic’s doubts are understandable.
Signing Wiljndum was a step in the right direction but we should’ve maintained the momentum by signing players for other key positions such as CB.
However and again, Newcastle United need to support its professions of ambition with deeds, signings, quality signings – quickly!
croftus5678
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:04 AM
Comment #17almost everyone around us has strengthened more than us and with us only signing one player and looking at us in friendlies will that be enough to challenge top 4 ? not imo
top 6 ? again not imo or 8 or even go for a cup tbh !
there are major weak links we have that everybody knows and we cant plug those wholes with what we currently have.
optimistic prime
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:09 AM
Comment #18http://www.themag.co.uk/2015/07/newcastle-united-help-mike-ashleys-retail-empire-to-massive-rise-in-profits/
Who knew, Ashley expanding SD in Holland.
Jail for Ashley
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:09 AM
Comment #19Luckily Ashley has been sussed now despite his mock interview which has bought him a bit more time. Mclaren won’t be given as much time as Pardew who bought himself and his boss way too much time with that fifth place finish. It will become apparent very quickly if Mclaren is on the take to keep us mid table while using us a vehicle to establish himself as a Pulis, Hughes or Allardyce instead of a Warmock, Mccarthy or Dave Jones.
Toon-Prodigy
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:11 AM
Comment #20Jail,
I meant im growing inpatient not others.
Toon-Prodigy
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:15 AM
Comment #21Jail,
My only worry is that we are going to go to our third rate targets and end up no better off than we are. It’s taken us 6 weeks to get one target through the door it’s not good which ever way it’s looked at.
Everytime I see us chasing our tail my spider sense kicks in because this regime has loved wasting windows away in the past nd conning the fans.
We need to get going and be more decisive.
Jail for Ashley
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:21 AM
Comment #22TP,
I never meant you as in singular, I meant as in everyone.
Rephrase.
No one can accuse us of being impatient.
switch365
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:21 AM
Comment #23Would appear that 2 out of 3 cb’s we’ve been linked with would certainly do a decent job of shoring up our defence … until they need to leave for AFCON.
Toon-Prodigy
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:26 AM
Comment #24Jail,
Aye, that’s it like. They can’t. I’v got to admit though frustration is starting to get the better of me in this window. Not enough noises coming out of the club to keep me going and being optimistic. We still need a canny few in yet and 1 in 6 weeks dosn’t sit well.
Fingers crossed we hear something in the coming days.
lesh
Jul 16, 2015 at 9:41 AM
Comment #25Switch
A point well made about AFCON.