Newcastle had a delegation in Italy to watch Dennis Praet in action for Sampdoria on Sunday, and Praet is said to have had an excellent game running the midfield for the Italian club in their 2-1 home win against Benevento.
There are different reports on whether or not we have actually bid £12.8M for him but a report in Football Italia seems accurate.
After the game, they say that Newcastle officials entered into talks about signing Praet so it could be that we haven’t put in a formal bid for him yet.
Signing Praet would give Newcastle’s central midfield some class and creativity, and unless we bring in more creativity and scoring power to the side before the end of the month, it could be another difficult season for us in the Premier League.
The report of the bid of £12.8M was in Italian newspaper Il Secolo XI, and certainly, the once capped Belgium International had a good season after joining Sampdoria from Anderlecht last summer.
Newcastle’s central midfield target Dennis Praet
There are even reports in Italy that Sampdoria has already accepted Newcastle’s bid with Calciomercato’s Enzo Lampard believing Praet will move to Newcastle and that the Italian club has accepted Newcastle’s €14M (£12.8M) bid.
One thing that could still hold up the deal is that we have some players like Tim Krul, Jack Colback, Henri Saivet, Manu Riviere, and Sadio Haidara to offload and time is starting to run out with only 9 days left of the summer transfer window.
The main thing stopping a number of the players leaving for other clubs are the high wages they are receiving at Newcastle.
That’s a problem we have had for many years when we try to move out unwanted players.
But Praet would appear to be an excellent signing for us if we can get him because he has class and quality.
And we are still hoping the Newcastle hierarchy can wake up and bring in at least four good players before the end of the transfer window.
Comments welcome.
13 comments so far
Lindisfarne
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:17 AM
Comment #1Dreamboat mkII
Lindisfarne
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:24 AM
Comment #2Jib – from the last article
What is your estimated profit margin? I take it from your figures that you are equally unaware of where the transfer profit from last summer has gone?
Jib
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:41 AM
Comment #3Lind
I included the transfer profit in my guesstimate of £110 m
but with our ginormous wage bill and taxes (the gains on a player are taxed hugely – why do you think we agree to spread Sissoko over 5 years) there ain’t as much as folk think.
jimmysmith
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:41 AM
Comment #4I like Merino from what little I’ve seen of him. He appears to have more on the ball, and better passing than Hayden, who I also like, and certainly more on the ball than Colback and Diame.
I think it might be Shelvey and Merino in tandem, with both expected to do the dirty work in defence, and both expected to provide a spark on the ball.
Kinda like two Cabaye’s rather than a Cabaye and a Tiote. Certainly I think Shelvey already does this for us, when he’s on the pitch of course.
lochinvar
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:49 AM
Comment #5Two games in and we’ve lost both. There now seems to be a dispute over bonus payments to the team which is laughable – just link the bonus to winning that’ll focus their minds. And Elliot is moaning all over the place about everything . Get Reina in and have a personality that can lead and get on with things. If the players want my support they need to get real and get on with it.
More oomph less guff please.
toon kk
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:50 AM
Comment #6He looks like another light weight.
Vask
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:50 AM
Comment #7Jim you think Jonjo is an amalgamation of cabs and cheick? I can’t agree. I haven’t seen anything in him that suggests he has the defensive qualities if a tiote.
jimmysmith
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:56 AM
Comment #8No, not the same defensive qualities, but certainly I think Shelvey works hard when the opposition have the ball. Cabaye used to do the same I think. Good on the ball, hardworking when the opposition had it. Shut players down, got a foot in.
Slank
Aug 22, 2017 at 8:15 AM
Comment #9I notice Ed lists the players the club wants to shift but excludes those players (Sels, Gamez and Lazaar) that Benetez bought 12 months ago who now don’t feature in his plans. In 12 months time, if he is still here, will Benetez want to shift Manquillo and some others he has bought ?
Ed is right about its been a long standing problem at Newcastle about the high wages but are these high wages way and above the norm for a Premiership club ? Also, are Rafa’s newly purchased players on the same wage scale as those already at the club ?
I have some sympathy with those players listed by Ed who have signed contracts in good faith under a previous manager but are not not wanted by the new manager who hasn’t seen most of them playing but that is life for a professional footballer. They can cry all the way to their bank.
It’s a fact of football life that managers rarely get the money they want from their owners. As an experienced manager Benetez should have made absolutely sure when in discussion with Ashley and/ or Charnley about the future after gaining promotion that he had a stonewall guaranteed commitment to funds. If the club couldn’t or wouldn’t come up with the money then he should have walked with his reputation intact as he wouldn’t be out of a job for very long.
What he shouldn’t be doing now is spreading doom and gloom because its certainly having an effect on the fans whose supposed discontent is being fanned by the pundits who have picked up on Benetez’s comments and body language. I just hope the players are immune to it.
Come on Rafa cheer up.
scout
Aug 22, 2017 at 8:46 AM
Comment #10Why don’t we just subsidies the wages of Colback and the other to get them gone for the season?
That’s what other clubs do, come on Lee sort it out lad.
PUMMELLER
Aug 22, 2017 at 10:09 AM
Comment #11Shelvey is a liability, Cabeye never was. He was brilliant for us and we have missed him ever since.
I like Shelvey when he is on his game but is always 2 minutes away from doing something ridiculous
JP...from The Rock
Aug 22, 2017 at 12:35 PM
Comment #12We really are desperate for a Cabaye type player. Will this lad we’re linked with be the one to fill his boots?-who knows. I still feel that £12m could still be used to bejng Lucas Perez pver insteas and he’s certainly quality, and upfront where we need it most. Lucas Perez is also versatile and can play as a number 10. I really hope Rafa knows what he’s doing as those comments of him being “fairly happy” with our striking options is worrying to say the least.
BANDWBURNABY
Aug 22, 2017 at 5:10 PM
Comment #13How cant we afford 12 mill when every other club in epl doesnt even blink at it. What happened to 75 mill from Liverpool Spurs & Crystal Palace + money from league, never mind 50,000 gates?