The web–site FourFourTwo have come out with the best 12 Premier League signings so far this summer and Newcastle have the 5th best transfer made so far in this window.
They pick out Mikel Merino as an excellent buy for the club, and he’s a versatile young player who can play centre-back, as a holding midfielder, but he also has the class, vision, creativity, and technical skill to be a box-to-box midfielder.
It looks like we paid a £2.5M loan fee to Borussia Dortmund for the player and we will need to pay another £6.5M once he has played a certain number of games for the club.
21-year-old Mikel Merino – 5th best PL signing
So the loan deal comes with an obligation to buy.
Mikel has made it clear he wants to improve as a player and he thinks fellow Spaniard Rafa Benitez can help him do that, so it’s a match made in heaven at Newcastle.
This is what FourFourTwo had to say about Mikel:
One of the advantages of having a high-profile manager like Rafa Benitez in charge of your newly promoted club is the access he gives you to players who would otherwise be out of reach.
Newcastle have plenty going in their favor besides their current boss, but landing Merino from Borussia Dortmund would have been tougher under, say, Steve McClaren or John Carver.
Able to play at centre-half, as a deep-lying playmaker, and in a box-to-box midfield role, the 21-year-old Spaniard completed a season-long loan move to St James’ Park last week.
Certainly, Mikel has excited the Newcastle fan base and for the money, this lad could be a stellar buy for us.
Hope so.
Comments welcome.
79 comments so far
Ron Knee
Aug 4, 2017 at 8:59 AM
Comment #1expat
He did an excellent portrayal of Churchill in the early 80s.
expatmag
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:15 AM
Comment #2Ron
So I believe. Seen him in a few things but he was brilliant in All creatures. I have every episode and all the specials on DVD. Never get sick of them
Blofal
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:24 AM
Comment #3Squad as it stands (starting line up will vary of course and keep in mind we can only have 25 players).
———————Elliot
Yedlin – Lascelles – Lejuene – Dummett
Ritchie – Merino —– Shelvey – Atsu
——————De Jong
———————Gayle
Subs:
Darlow, Mitrovic, Perez, Aarons, Clarke, Murphy, Hayden
Squad: Mbemba, Gamez, Colback, Woodman, Diame, Manquillio, Sterry
That’s 25 players – a full squad!!
Then we have Krul, Riviere, Haidara, Hanley, Lazaar all for sale/loan.
We have to sell some players ASAP.
cyprus
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:25 AM
Comment #4Barkley and a top CF will change us from strugglers to competitors.
Rotonda heights
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:33 AM
Comment #5barkley allegedly has a very poor attitude, coupled with fitness and injury worries and wants mega wages.
can’t see the appeal.
GK??
Manquillo Clark Lejeune LB??
Hayden Merino
Ritchie Shelvey Murphy
Gayle.
martoon
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:39 AM
Comment #6Blofal @3 – I don’t think U21 players count so that Is Woodman & Sterry (I think – not sure how old he is now) therefore there are 2 more spaces – hopefully for our new striker and AM players 🙂
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:54 AM
Comment #7Me
I would deffo be excited if have a go at getting some kind of deal for Barkley done –
RAFA could re-invigourate his career and his ball carrying and goalscoring ability would be a great asset to the club and would go a long way if kept fit in guarenteeing our saftey
toontaff2
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:54 AM
Comment #8Barkley to us was 50/1 , then suddenly 6/1 or 4/1.
Maybe Fatty put a million on it, knowing he was ready to send in Penfold to pounce?
toontaff2
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:55 AM
Comment #9Cannot see us paying his wages, even if we had the 50 million in the petty cash box – another wind up from the press.
catchy in norway
Aug 4, 2017 at 9:57 AM
Comment #10Blofal
Not sure why you have Lascelles in a CB, as it was widely accepted that Clark was our best CB last season by fans who actually watched us, Lejeune looks the part and I would rather watch the team that Rotonda has put together, based on stats and actual team play.
and like Rotonda, im not so sure of our GK,, FOR me none of them are really good enough, ESP Darlow, he looked ok in a strong team last season, he wasnt really tested. but this season is going to be tough and most teams have decent forward lines.
RUNAWAY777
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:13 AM
Comment #11Well few day left of this lovely weather what’s it back in the toon toontaff2
toontaff2
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:15 AM
Comment #12Sun out today, Runaway.
Bit windy doon by the coast.
You’d better bring some decent weather back with you, ready for the start of the season.
RUNAWAY777
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:20 AM
Comment #13Try mate guess same rubbish going around again hope hibbit rite with these signings but the days are starting to pass by and know sign of owt
hibbit
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:22 AM
Comment #14RUNAWAY777
warm and sunny but very windy in yarm
not long now mate !!!
ShirebrookToon
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:22 AM
Comment #15Season ticket just landed on door mat!!
Getting close now!
hellodjo
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:24 AM
Comment #16Wouldn’t want Barkley at the club, wrong attitude and definitely not worth it
ShirebrookToon
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:24 AM
Comment #17Runaway
27 days left mate. Just concentrate on bringing the good weather back with ya pal 😀
hellodjo
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:25 AM
Comment #18Are people aware he turned down £100000 a week from Everton? Why on earth would he come to us and why would we want such a player? He’s not even that good
RUNAWAY777
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:35 AM
Comment #19Hibbit You do have a canny hike to the match and back mate
hibbit
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:39 AM
Comment #20RUNAWAY777
not as far as shire but far enough
Munster Mag
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:42 AM
Comment #21Barkley wud be a phenomenal signing but we seem to be stoney broke. I have to say it’s proving to be a very poor window so far and we have plenty of players who wudnt be of much interest to other prem clubs
ShirebrookToon
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:44 AM
Comment #22Hibbit
It’s all worth it though mate.
SuperShearer
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:48 AM
Comment #23Barkley? For £50 Million and 100K/W wages? No thanks. Not sure he’s worth half of either of those figures.
Average_Contents
Aug 4, 2017 at 10:52 AM
Comment #24I’m surprised it’s not Rafa’s fault Munster…..
cyprus
Aug 4, 2017 at 11:08 AM
Comment #25Barkley not good enough for NUFC?!
Though don’t know much about attitude.
SPRINGY
Aug 4, 2017 at 11:23 AM
Comment #26Barkley is never going to happen….just paper bollicks
Pitmatic
Aug 4, 2017 at 11:27 AM
Comment #27The only position Barkley can really play is as a no.10 – any deeper and he becomes a liability. It’s a position we need to fill, and he would certainly flourish in our set-up. At the start of the window I actually thought it might be a goer, if we were willing to smash our transfer record and pay around £30m for him. That obviously looks very fanciful now.
That said, he’d be second or third choice at all the top clubs, competing with the likes of Hazard, Silva, de Bruyne, Alli, Ozil, Cazorla, Lallana, Coutinho, Pogba, Mata and Lingard. I wouldn’t pick him ahead of any of those players, so his career could well wither in same way Wilshere’s has if he doesn’t start playing regularly. It’s possible that we could do a deal with Everton, maybe with a hefty sell-on clause, so as to give him a couple of seasons to showcase his talent with a guaranteed starting role (in the same way Everton did with Lukaku). But he’ll probably end up at Spurs on deadline day, then drop down to a mid-tier club in two or three years.
JP...from The Rock
Aug 4, 2017 at 11:28 AM
Comment #28Barkley would be a brilliant signig for us, just not at the money mentioned. Everytime we were linked with McCarthy I was hoping it was Barkley instead. Doubt there’s much truth in it anyway.
SPRINGY
Aug 4, 2017 at 11:30 AM
Comment #29I wonder if leicester are willing cash in on vardy now they have signed the man city kid….he is gettin on now…31 this season i believe…..not for us just, in general?
Mister Tuff
Aug 4, 2017 at 11:53 AM
Comment #30Barkley – not going to happen – we don’t have the cash – apparently.
Do not particularly like loans – but that Perez on loan would help us out for this season.
RUNAWAY777
Aug 4, 2017 at 11:56 AM
Comment #31Is shirebrook from chesterfield I my be wrong lads
BenbulbenMag
Aug 4, 2017 at 11:57 AM
Comment #32All this Barkley talk is pure nonsense as we all know. He supposedly turned down £120k a week at Everton. Not a snowballs chance in hell that he’ll be coming anywhere next or near us.
Mikel (on the little we’ve seen of him so far) looks very promising.Obviously we all wanted our full squad in a few weeks ago but I reckon Charnley and Raffa thought they’d get shot of some of the dead wood more quickly and easily.
It’s a marathon not a sprint. We’re quietly going about our business and as long as Raffa stays I’m confident. Personally I never saw the great need for a new keeper but Raffa obviously prefers a very vocal presence gk marshaling the defense. But if it doesn’t happen Elliot will do fine until young Woodman can take up the Baton.
I personally can’t understand all the doom and gloom around here. We have no God given right to be an instant top 10 challenger. We need to catch up on lost revenues and shrewdly purchase. We now have the systems and personnel in place to do this.
nightfa11
Aug 4, 2017 at 12:10 PM
Comment #33I’ve been reading on this blog that most players care only about money etc. If that would be the case, Barkley would have signed a new contract with Everton. Maybe he’s the missing link in our set-up..maybe he’s actually the opposite of our “deadwood” and cares about his football.
What I’m saying is don’t make assumptions based on some past experiences. Give it time and see how things play out.
Just know that We’re stronger than it seems atm. 🙂
ShirebrookToon
Aug 4, 2017 at 12:14 PM
Comment #34Runaway
Mansfield mate. If I could I’d move to Newcastle tomorrow
Jib
Aug 4, 2017 at 12:22 PM
Comment #35Lots of ageing wingers on the move
Gareth Bale
Angel di Maria
Ivan Perisic
Juan Cuadrado
Antonio Candreva
Barcelona are returning with an offer of £110 million for Phillipe Coutinho
bladeuser
Aug 4, 2017 at 12:23 PM
Comment #36BenbulbenMag
NOBODY said we had a right to finish top ten what every team in the epl should have is a chance to win it
Sadly this is not the case as for having the systems in place what systems a miser of an owner who won’t free up the cash
A manager who will leave as he won’t want to fight a relegation battle and I for one will not blame him he came and did a great job has committed to see it through and is going to be s@@@ on by a drunken slob
Yeah everything is in place for another great season NOT
ASH OUT
hibbit
Aug 4, 2017 at 12:30 PM
Comment #37bladeuser
you and ashley should get on very well, a drunken slob and a foul mouthed lout
a match made in heaven
Belfast
Aug 4, 2017 at 12:31 PM
Comment #38I think he must be joining Chelsea or a Man City if he’s turned down that type of contract.
hibbit
Aug 4, 2017 at 12:33 PM
Comment #39Belfast
spurs mate
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 4, 2017 at 12:36 PM
Comment #40Bought a brand new kit for both my lads a fortnight ago…God I wish that tacky sponsor name wasn’t there or at least it was in gold or something (that light blue just makes me cringe)