There’s news in most of the papers today that Liverpool are going to make a move for Newcastle’s Gini Wijnaldum this week and that they are prepared to go up to £20M to get the Dutch International midfielder.
Newcastle have made it clear the club financially does not have to sell any of our star players this summer – and the club has yet to receive any bids for the likes of Gini or Moussa Sissoko.
Newcastle value the 25 year-old Dutch International north of £25M and are unlikely to sell for less than that, so it will be interesting to see if we do lose any of our star players this summer.
Gini Wijnaldum in action last season
The reports say that Newcastle will settle for £20M for the Dutch star, but we wonder who made that one up?
The various reports suggest Liverpool want to complete the deal this week – but we’ll just have to wait and see if there’s any truth in these reports.
Rafa Benitez would preferably want to keep the top players at the club and has said many times this summer he will only sell if a huge offer comes in.
In fact that was one of the many agreements he got out of owner Mike Ashley before he agreed to stay on Tyneside.
And Rafa’s stood by his guns (so to speak) before in the transfer market and refused to allow players to leave and made them honor their contracts.
Newcastle expect to be down below for one season only and have already fortified the squad with five new signings this summer with more to come.
While Georginio was very good in the first half of the season, he disappeared when the going got tough – much the same as Moussa Sissoko did.
And Rafa dropped the Dutchman after an insipid display at Southampton by the team and left him our of the lineup for a few games.
Newcastle then won three and drew three of the last six league games, but we still couldn’t avoid the drop, but still took Spurs apart 5-1 in the last game.
Wijnaldum showed he can score goals in the Premier League last term and ended up the top scorer with 11 goals and 5 assists, but he scored very few in the second half of the season and went missing in too many games.
But of the two star players in Gini and Moussa, the Dutchman would be the one to keep on board with Sissoko far too inconsistent week in and week out and he basically did nothing for us last season.
It will be interesting to see how Newcastle react when we get the first bid in for one of these two star players.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
16 comments so far
jazzyp
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:36 AM
Comment #1Backward step for Nufc if you ask me.Would sooner have him in the team than playing against him
carl
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:36 AM
Comment #2No Buster it’s because you’re opinions are not worth a brass razoo.
Termijn
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:45 AM
Comment #3Sounds like a non-story to me, cant see us settling for 20M for Gini but demanding 35M for Sissoko when Gini has a longer contract and is arguably a better player. Also cant see why Liverpool would want him with Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana, etc. all playing the same position.
jimmysmith
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:48 AM
Comment #4It’s a gamble to sell him, but should we go back up, Rafa can attract the same quality and better. Money must be right though. He, like Janmaat may actually have mixed feelings about leaving though. He’s only been with us a season, and it’s a shocking relegation to be a part of. I don’t necessarily buy into the notion he’s desperate to go.
welshgeordie9
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:48 AM
Comment #5If both of them do go then who are we going to replace them with, when Townsend was linked with a move away we were linked with Ritchie more or less straightaway, but there’s been no rumours who we might bring in if those two goes.
carl
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:49 AM
Comment #6jazzy
So would I. But it’s surely a case of recognising that despite Rafa doing all he reasonably can to keep him he wants away. It’s the here and now and Premier football. I would prefer all outgoings to be determined over the next 10 days to enable us to bring players in and have a settled squad.
It seems that we will have a CB by Thursday.
welshgeordie9
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:51 AM
Comment #7If Liverpool do come in for Gini then the club should tell them you can have him for the same money you paid for Carroll, and we all know how that turned out.
Ha ha ha
YouCouldn'tMakeItUp
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:53 AM
Comment #8This is again going to be all down to whether he is WILLING to put a shift in for us if he stays. I think, unlike sissoko, that at least part of Gini IS willing to help out, so it is possible that Rafa could persuade him to stay. Money talks though. If we get an offer of 25M or more, i think he will be gone.
jazzyp
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:55 AM
Comment #9Jimmysmith
I agree mate it’s a massive gamble.
If the intention is to go straight back up then we need top quality players like Gini at the club. Yes he was part of the problem but we had so much crap within the squad, That has only just started to be addressed.To late in everyone’s eyes which has led to relegation.But now Rafa is at the helm hopefully it started to be addressed
WWSBRD
Jul 18, 2016 at 8:57 AM
Comment #10‘Star’ that should be
YCMIU
Why is Sissoko unwilling to put a shift in for us? Seemed to do a decent job of it so far in his NUFC career far more so than Gini
jazzyp
Jul 18, 2016 at 9:01 AM
Comment #11Carl
I understand where ya coming from, But would one season ultimately dethrone there career. To be honest I was gutted when Townsend left, And to lose Gini as well is not making the team stronger but weaker.
Whether we are in the Pl or Championship mate we need to keep our best players at the clip if we have aspirations once back in the Pl
jazzyp
Jul 18, 2016 at 9:05 AM
Comment #12Club
welshgeordie9
Jul 18, 2016 at 9:14 AM
Comment #13Was the players poor last season poor because they were, or were they badly managed, if Benitez was with us all of last season, would players like Gini, sissoko, thauvin, Cabella and whoever else been rubbish.
posada
Jul 18, 2016 at 9:18 AM
Comment #14If you get a firm offer of 20 Million for a player you should do one of two things.
Sell or offer them an improved contract commensurate with being a 20 Million pound player.
Not speculation mind you, a firm offer.
Oleg G
Jul 18, 2016 at 9:42 AM
Comment #15Only for silly money.
25M+
He is a good player and we won’t buy a better one.
It will be good profit in the short term, if we get 18-20 for him, but it will do more harm for us.
He is under a contract.
He wants to leave. So he will perform.
No reason to let a player go just because things didn’t work out as HE wanted.
We dropped. He was a starter. It is his fault as well. Leaving it behind like nothing happen cost a lot of money. If anyone is willing to pay that money for this player to not feel the consequences, then pay up. Otherwise, he should stay.
Oleg G
Jul 18, 2016 at 9:46 AM
Comment #16If any clubs are willing to buy Gini\Sissoko, then we should send a message to those teams.
Send your best offer and we will consider. You got 7 days max.
After that, players aren’t for sale for any price.
This way, we pressure them to decide and we won’t have to be in a limbo until the end of August.
Imagine that a week before the transfer window closes, we will say one of them or both. Then what? Who will come to replace them?