http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/topics/newcastle-united-have-done-well-to-dodge-loic-remy-s-potential-bu
Less than a week ago, as reported by reliable Marseille newspaper La Provence, Loic Remy had told his club that he wanted them to agree a deal with Newcastle United. He'd looked at the options available to him and made his mind up. Those options already included QPR but after thinking about the situation he decided that Newcastle United was the right option. That's where he wanted to go, Harry Redknapp had even flown out to France and spoken to him but the player wanted to play in black and white among some friends and at a club he thought would be the right one to rebuild his career.
It wasn't a hugely publicised deal, he'd have just joined and got on with things like Debuchy, someone he classes as a friend. But then what had become a small transfer in the scheme of things took a dramatic twist. It only needs a few quotes from Harry Redknapp to inflate something to larger than its actual size, and thus the Remy transfer became a big thing.
La Provence moved on to talk about an 'XXL' offer from QPR which they said was around £80k a week and things changed. Footballers can be blamed and of course it comes down to personal choice but the pressure on a man from himself to accept such a wage would be huge. What he'd earned so far in Ligue 1 would look paltry in comparison and this was a four and a half year deal that would set him, his family and their families up for the rest of their lives and provide for children and grandchildren that hadn't even yet been considered. The extra money is always needed when classified in such way.
Newcastle Untied had obviously been the place Remy wanted to rebuild himself, and to be perfectly blunt that's what needs to happen. He has not made a comeback from his injury last summer, he's had further setbacks and his form has made him a Marseille substitute This isn't something which can be dressed up as the club pushing him to one side before a sale, he simply hasn't been good enough to get into their team.
He has not completed one full league game for the French side so far this season, he's only started two. There have been sixteen substitute appearances and he's managed to get one league goal, a consolation during a 4-1 loss to Lyon. In November an early substitution against Ajaccio brought things to a head and his manager talked about him not being ready whilst some outside the club thought he made need things building around him, something Marseille weren't prepared to do - mainly because they didn't need to as everything else was working out for them. RMC covered it well.
It was after that game that Le10 Sport reported that Remy had spoken to those close to him and revealed he'd had thoughts about quitting the game. Since that match in early November he's started one league game and two in the Europa League, Marseille have won none of those matches.
With Cisse being the main man at Newcastle United with Demba Ba now gone, it would have given Remy a little time to be eased in. The transfer would still have been a gamble but Newcastle Untied were happy to take that and had worked hard to make a deal happen. Then QPR's money was thrown at Remy until he said yes.
Redknapp himself has been quoted by the BBC as saying "I went to see him at Marseille last week and he wasn't keen but the chairman Tony Fernandes worked ever so hard. He wouldn't give up and the boy decided to come.
"He's quick, a French international, his movement is excellent and he has the potential to be a real star in the Premier League."
In reality Remy hasn't played for France since November 2011, his last match was on the same day Bobby Zamora last played for England.
Pardew didn't kick and scream and Mike Ashley didn't throw caution to the wind and cough up a matching deal. Remy's transfer to QPR has now been confirmed and for the watching public, he's expected to be their main striker and instantly start to fire them to safety.
It could happen, the change could do Remy the world of good instantly. If it doesn't it won't take long before he's labelled a failure and how would the Frenchman, who had got fed up with the game in November, respond to that? How would QPR?
That isn't Newcastle United's problem and once the money started to get silly, it was a bullet worth dodging.
