With the expected arrival of Sochaux striker Modibo Maiga not now going to happen, the Newcastle manager has said today the Magpies will not be bringing in a new striker next month.
Emerging folk hero Demba Ba will be off to African Cup of Nations soon
Newcastle had worked since late August on agreeing a deal with Sochaux for Modibo Maiga, and a £6M transfer fee had been agreed, and Maiga’s wages would have been tripled on Tyneside.
But the deal is now dead in the water, after Maiga failed his medical recently because of his knee.
Alan Pardew was asked if the deal could ever be resurrected:
“It was not a strategy to do that from us, it was just unfortunate, and unfortunate for the player.”
“You can imagine the player is probably more disappointed than anybody else, but these things happen and we will have to do a lot of work now between now and the summer to locate another striker.”
“You have to pay over the odds in this window, everybody does, and you have to accept that if you are going to invest in this window, and we won’t in terms of a striker.”
“I don’t think we will be bringing a striker in in this window after the collapse of Maiga, which we had put a lot of work into. As far as we are concerned, we will go with what we have got.”
“We are looking at bringing maybe a defender in. We need to bring in a defender.”
Newcastle will lose Demba Ba sometime in January to the African Cup of Nations, and the Newcastle striker has recently been named in the Senegal squad for the upcoming tournament.
There seems to be a chance that Ba could stay until mid-January at Newcastle, although Senegal have every right to insist that Ba join them on January 8th.
If Ba is allowed to stay for another week he could play in the home game against QPR on Saturday, January 15th.
Newcastle have Shola Ameobi, Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands as out-and-out strikers at Newcastle and also have Ben Arfa available to play in the withdrawn position.
Sammy Ameobi can also play up front, as could young Haris Vuckic who certainly has an eye for goal.
So surely Newcastle will be able to survive the four or so games that Ba will be away in Africa. Of course if Ba ever gets injured we’ll be in big trouble as far as scoring goals is concerned.
It will be a good chance for those strikers to step up to the plate for Newcastle in January and early February.
But we have to bring in another central defender because if either Coloccini or Mike Williamson get injured we will be in big trouble again at the back.
Comments welcome.
37 comments so far
Dannyo
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:22 PM
Comment #1Well, what can one say. It’ll be Best and HBA for 3-5 matches.
roshan MAGPIE
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:23 PM
Comment #2we really need a center back more than a striker we can get a striker in summer i am DAMN sure best will step up
Dannyo
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Comment #3@roshan
I think Best will step up his game, question is, how much?
He’s not as good as Ba, far from it. Best is a poacher, while Ba works for the entire team 24/7 and can work in a goal on his own if need be.
BUT, i think Best enjoys the limelight, and works well as a lone striker given his speed and quickness.
We’ll see, we’ll see, lets hope the rest of our offensive force stays injury free.
nightfa11
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:28 PM
Comment #4oh cmon…this season we have a good chance to finish among top 6, but ONLY if we invest in january.. next season could be a different story, we might not have such a good start to season..so invest ffs..
defender & a striker in January & a winger in summer.
p.s.: dont play raylor against liverpool, cos bellamy will destroy him.
Brutooon
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:28 PM
Comment #51) Hope Leon Best can find his Goal Scoring touch. However Leon Best unable to finish a full 90 mins therefore we will see more of Shola Ameobi and Lovenkrands
2) I never been a fan of Shola Ameobi, but i do HOPE (finger crossed) that he get several key goals
3) Tiote out for the ACON. Guthrie (if fit) would do a ok job. Other Vuckic and Abeid should see this as an opportunity
arroeben
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:36 PM
Comment #6Nightfa, bellamy normally plays on the left. And downing on the right?
Dannyo
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:36 PM
Comment #7@Brutoon
What?! Nothing about Perch?!?!
Joke 😛
I think Abeid is being worked on to replace Tiote during ACN, atleast thats what Pardew has stated earlier in the season.
Gosling and Vuckic doesn’t suit the role, Guthrie is too similar to Cabaye.
I think Abeid will play in his place, but we’ll find out 😉
JackButler
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:37 PM
Comment #8When the Maiga deal broke down due to the medical, it just showed us how short sighted the club are, yet again there was no plan ‘B’.
We all new how short we were in defence and up front when we sold Carrol close on a year ago and we all new that Jose would not sign a new deal and yet all we’ve done is sign a free transfer in Ba and Santon out of the 90 mil that has come into the club!!!!!!
As much as I love this club is bloody depressing being a supporter on NUFC on times
geoff777
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:38 PM
Comment #9The team are being let down by Ashley & Llambias not backing their great start.
If Llambias had done his job and Campbell had been replaced we wouldn’t have lost to Norwich and WBA.
Now Llambias’s failure to sign a striker in the summer means Toon fans who are paying good money in a world recession have to watch a third rate strike force while Ba is away.
arroeben
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:40 PM
Comment #10I like obertan, he works really hard but lacks alot of confidence or motivation. Look when he played against evra. He beat evra on the ball almost all the time! Coz he had a point to prove against manutd.
nightfa11
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Comment #11arroeben
true, but why would he play on the left if hes most dangerous on the right against us..
and 1 more thing…krul is a great keeper, but his distribution sucks.. he should just stop with those long balls..
Brutooon
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:47 PM
Comment #12Dannyo : My assumption is that James Perch will be sold as early as 1 January 2012 – simple because he is a “good centre back”
shamsoftabriz
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:51 PM
Comment #13So AP announces that we are not bringing in a striker…does that qualify as anti-strategic?
cla5hb0y68
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:54 PM
Comment #14It’s been plainly obvious since before the start of the season that the squad is too thin. The team has exceeded expectations to give us a well deserved 30 points but all that hard work will be for nothing if we struggle for goals whilst Ba is off to the African nations and (god forbid) if our defence suffers any more injuries. The team and the manager deserve all the plaudits for getting us where we are at this point, now it’s the owner and MD who need to step up and provide the cover we so desperately need. It’s quite simply unacceptable for them to have no contingency plan.
AussieToon
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:57 PM
Comment #15Typical. Not surprised. We will never achieve anything whilst Ashley is in charge and Llambias is there.
What a short sighted joke. Top 7 is there for the taking. Top 6 even. Europe for that mug Ashley.
Kiss that goodbye now.
Get him out of this club.
ash1001
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:00 PM
Comment #16Here we go again – spinning the fans along, has the club management the same ambition as the fans – NO WAY
So Ba (dodgy knee as well) or Best or HBA get injured we are back in mire and its deep.
New defender in now beomes a ‘maybe’
Pleased you told MA, what reinforcements you needed AP, and see you got the usual commited response, spin the fans along.
Oh before I forget on a scale of 1 to 10 whos got the worse dodgy knee Ba or Maiga, answers on a post card to clubs medical staff.
All the best for the NEW YEAR everyone.
nufc mad man
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:01 PM
Comment #17if we are not going to bring in a new forward then i dout we will stop long balls
also here is the goals scored in the league this season
ba 14 best 3 raylor 2
guti cabye shola benny and gosling all 1
so if these stats don’t prove we have only 1 foward what will and there is no injury to a forward
another problem i am starting to think will happen is players like tiote colocini krul ba and simpson could be more and more likely to follow enriques steps if they have ambition (it is hard to say if it for money due to cashley contract restrictions) of europe and we will be stuck with un expirience or championship players
kilcline
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:02 PM
Comment #18I think we will bring in Macheda on loan.
TOONCHRIS
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:20 PM
Comment #19lets no get to down hearted people least the fatman will have had a good christmas and it will only get better when he pockets the tiote money,with the krul money and cabaye money to follow shortly,merry christmas mr ashley n hope you have a heart attack in the new year
Toon Tang
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:23 PM
Comment #20fu cking jokers. best isnt good enough to lead the front line, hes a championship level striker . him and ameobi up front wont bag anywhere near the goals we will need. we better just pray we can keep some clean sheets and then it may not matter as much without ba. also ben arfa will hopefully start knocking a few in now and i hope AP will start playing him from the start and not just sticking ameobi in instead of ba and leaving it like that. long ball aint pulling off
dmac
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:34 PM
Comment #21Sounds like smoke and mirrors to me this statement. In the summer everyone knew we had 35m to spend on a striker and thats why it was so difficult as teams wanted over the odds from us. Best way to try get a fair deal is to see who is offered pretend your not interested and the put a cheeky bid in.
Declaring interest in any player these days is just damn right foolish.
Dude
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:38 PM
Comment #22I’m with dmac, smokescreen !!! i imagine bids will be posted. probably late in the window and out of sight/sound of david craig (like most things in fact). chance of success below 50% however.
MacToon
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:45 PM
Comment #23“maybe a defender in” ? Maybe?
solano
Dec 28, 2011 at 1:59 PM
Comment #24Oh no…it’s Dmac with his “smoke and mirrors” post that he keeps on his desktop everytime the shite hits the fan! Did Dmac get a Paul Daniels Magic Trick Box for Crimbo? Or is he more of a David Copperfield fan? Or Blain?
solano
Dec 28, 2011 at 2:03 PM
Comment #25The effin smoke should have cleared and the mirrors should have been broken in the summer, you mugs! Even if we get, miracle of all miracles, a cb and a striker in at the end of January – it will only be what we should have had at the end of August at the very latest! The conmen have pulled the same trick again and quite a lot are lapping it up.Good grief!
Toonboy_83
Dec 28, 2011 at 2:04 PM
Comment #26WILL TAKE FAT ASH OVER 2 YEARS TO BRING IN A REPLACEMENT FOR CARROLL/..
The Ghost of St.James
Dec 28, 2011 at 2:10 PM
Comment #27Think with Ba away at the ACN, we will definitely perm either Best or Shola with Ben Arfa, who I think will come into his own over the next few weeks. See Suarez is defintiely out for Friday night’s game due to FA ban, must help our chances. Can see us sneaking a 2-1. Ha’way the lads!
ross armstrong
Dec 28, 2011 at 2:33 PM
Comment #28are yous all suprised?? im not!! we arent going nowhere when ashley is incharge!! to be 7th place in the prem with that idiot its unreal !! he has no ambition and only cares about how much money he can take in!! hate is a strong word and thats what i think of mike ashley!! greedy fat b astard!!
Rozzy
Dec 28, 2011 at 2:34 PM
Comment #29Ben Arfa is going to have to be a stricker till the end of the season. A defender is most important at the moment butr will also need a top striker. How long ago did carroll go and still no replacment thank god Ba came good.
MonsterMagnet
Dec 28, 2011 at 3:05 PM
Comment #30Guys – there is this great striker we still might be in for this window. He’s got an unreal goalscoring record – 12 goals in 16 appearances. Big strong lad, wouldn’t cost too much. Looks like an ideal Andy Carroll replacement. His name? SHEFKI ‘SHEF-CHENKO’ KUQI.
Where are our scouts??
max
Dec 28, 2011 at 4:32 PM
Comment #31what the ???
martoon
Dec 28, 2011 at 4:41 PM
Comment #32As JackButler says it is absolutely staggering that there is no plan B i.e. there is not a 2nd or even 3rd striker that has been targetted and watched in case the Maiga deal fell through for whatever reason.
You can’t help but feel there is only enough money available for a defender or striker and not both.
Premiership Manager
Dec 28, 2011 at 5:04 PM
Comment #33I’m not normally negative and have been reasonably happy with the way Ashley has managed the club as many of his decisions have been made from a business perspective however this decision leaves me totally bemused and the fact that Pardew seems to have simpy accepted it does not bode well for the club.
Two facts:
1. We need a centre back to cover Taylors absence and Collo’s departure should he decide not to sign his contract.
2. We need a striker who is good in the air, can hold the ball up and make penetrating runs taking defenders with him leaving room for the other players to slot into.
Concerns:
If we don not sign a striker and Ba gets injured Shola cannot be relied on due to his injury record. Best and Lovenkrands can play together however it is likely to upse the balance of the team and leaves no room for HBA .
If somebody comes in with a stupid bid for Ba who is to say we won’t sell? A 20M instant profit would be very hard for Ashley to turn down
In short from both a football and business prospective the decision does not make any sense. We have been scouting forwards for more than a year and if everybody has done their jobs we should know who is available and who fits the bill.
Given that we are knocking on the door of european football funds should be released and be made available for the right players.
We have been on a very good ride so far however the management team and directors should realise that it only takes one wheel to fall off the wagon for everything to fall apart.
We’re treading a very precarious path and I only hope that they know what they are doing
MrToon
Dec 28, 2011 at 5:19 PM
Comment #34I wonder if Maiga would have failed his medical if steve taylor didn.t get injured. The whole thing is a bit stinky if you ask me.
ONLINE GUY
Dec 28, 2011 at 6:03 PM
Comment #35Rotonda heights
Don’t know why your on this site..
are you one of Mike Ashley’s lackeys.?
Pardew has said it all with one statement today
“We wont be signing a striker ”
That says to me clearly and without any doubt now, that Ashley is maintaining the club in a state of stagnation
By not signing a striker he might as well be saying to us all .. I don’t want European football , we are not going to challenge the top six…. I will be happy with mid table .
Pardew told us all he was angry on missing out on a striker in the summer and we would defo buy a striker in January….
.We are giving Ashley money to maintain this club in a state of mediocrity .
Going nowhere ..Please sell up Ashley ..I know this is going to happen time and time again ..history proves it , can anyone deny that now .?
Jimmy magpie has it spot on so has Kevin Keegan.
Taxi for Ashley ,
Wheelbarrow for
Derek “you dont know how Fu**ng horrible we can be Llambias .
stestickle
Dec 28, 2011 at 6:28 PM
Comment #36ambition zero
mikeashleyisamackem
Dec 28, 2011 at 7:05 PM
Comment #37mike ashley is only saying this becoz most clubs with good strikers will hike there prises and be waiting for newcastle ,knowing that ashley is gonna have to cought up big money for a striker and there covering there backs incase they dont get one after what happend in the last couple a windows if clubs are asking for more value for there player then there worth than one thing thats been made clear by ashley he doesnt pay top dollar for anyone ,maybe its a good thing if the money stays in newcastle united but for me it just lines his own pockets