LRD

Newcastle United have been quick and efficient in their transfer business this summer, moving beyond 18 months of stagnation to bring in some much-needed reinforcements ahead of the new season. Yet for all the expenditure on the likes of Emmanuel Riviere, Siem de Jong, Remy Cabella and Ayoze Perez, there still appears to be a gaping hole in the squad when it comes to centre-forwards. No longer do the Toon have the ever-reliable if uninspiring Shola Ameobi in their ranks to turn to in times of crisis, and with Papiss Cisse set to be in the treatment room for some time, they need to act fast. In that context, then, it is understandable that reports have begun linking the club to Argentine forward Facundo Ferreyra, a member of Shakhtar Donetsk's South American contingent. A tall and pacey forward, Ferreyra's goal scoring record in recent seasons with Velez Sarsfield and Shakhtar is mightily impressive. He may not be well-known to many fans, but he would certainly be a signing worth getting excited about and, per earlier reports, could even be available on an initial loan deal if that were to be more enticing. Fans should perhaps treat the speculation with more than a little caution given the unpredictability of the transfer window, but the club's previous interest would suggest they may have continued to track his career and Newcastle have certainly proved adept at capitalising upon market forces to secure talents for below their expected market value over recent seasons. Of all of Shakhtar's assets, he is the one for whom a move to England is a realistic possibility. Such a signing, though, comes with inherent risk, and given the extensive changes at Newcastle this summer, he wouldn't have the luxury of arriving into a settled unit. After a rapid start to his career in Ukraine, "Chucky" hasn't scored since October. A lack of playing time has been part of the issue, but there has also been a significant decline in his form since an explosive run of six goals in eight league games early season. Shakhtar's abundance of attacking players means fans should perhaps not be overly concerned by the lack of recent goals. Since his breakthrough season with Banfield as a 19-year-old, Ferreyra has consistently scored goals at all levels of the game -- including four for his country's under-20 side at the South American championships in 2011. That output got him attention, but 16 goals in 21 games in a one-year spell with Velez elevated his reputation to that of a major striking talent. It was in earning the top-scorer crown with Velez that he showed a completeness to his game, leading the line alone and helping his club to a league title. There had been initial worries about his lack of physicality, but Ferreyra put to bed those doubts with a sensational season in which he showed finishing prowess with both head and feet. He is still by no means as physically developed as many European clubs would like to see of a centre-forward, but that is a problem easily and relatively quickly solved. Ferreyra's potential for excellence stems from his intelligent movement and confidence in front of goal. When the ball falls to him in the box, he is adept at creating space for a shot while he will continually look to pull off the shoulder of his marker and exploit his pace -- a trait which could, potentially, open space for the likes of de Jong and Cabella. He will require a side that plays to his strengths, though, if he is to succeed. For all his competence in the air, he will never be an Ameobi or a Demba Ba, players who can make long, hopeful balls forward stick and bring others into play. Newcastle would need to be precise in their approach play. Whether there is any truth in the reports surrounding Alan Pardew's side, it is clear that several teams will be looking at Ferreyra this summer. At just 23, he is approaching his prime and has the potential to push for a place in the Argentine national team ahead of coming tournaments if he can secure a stage from which to demonstrate his talents. In a summer in which strikers are moving for inflated fees, Ferreyra could represent reasonable value. Despite Shakhtar's notoriety for driving a hard bargain, Ferreyra is worth a gamble given the shortage of natural goal scorers at the top level. http://www.espnfc.com/blog/scouts-notebook/78/post/1962143/reported-newcastle-target-facundo-ferreyra-is-worth-a-gamble

Are you better than Shola though?

Overall the design isn't so bad but as ollie says, you should get better quality material for the money you spend.

If he made 100 appearances before getting sold for big money, it would only be an extra 2.5m on top of the 650k like. Even if they don't, 3.1m in today's market is nothing.

Oviedo and Coleman contributed much to their season too.

Ayr United unveil new kit. [spoiler=NSFW]http://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Ayr-United-Kit-Model-Body-Paint.jpg http://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Ayr-United-Body-Paint.jpg http://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Ellis-Cooper-Ayr-United-Strip-Topless.jpg http://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/AYR-2.jpg

http://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/New-Oldham-Athletic-Away-Kit-2014-15.jpghttp://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Sondico-OAFC-Shirt-2014-2015.jpg

Obertan's been available for transfer since last season like. Obviously, he's that bad that there are no takers even for a loan.

Wore #9 at Chelsea iirc. Had some hardman nick too. That's all I remember of him.

De Vrij to Lazio confirmed. Interesting that Feyenoord have a squad wholly made up of Dutch players. http://i.imgur.com/O34IVTe.png Have a classy Geordie as captain too.

Ah, ok. Are they going to open up part of it for football matches or the whole stadium? Gonna look weird with fans on the far end.

Is that going to be New York City FC's home ground and if so, they are the only MLS team to use a baseball stadium?

How many times has Poyet outwitted him these years? Poyet "completely outmaneuvered" Manuel Pellegrini the other week too, and Jose. So he can add that to his coveted Pardew scalp. Bloke must be a f***ing wizard. Nothing has changed. He still believes Pardew is a genius, tactically and motivationally.

From three loan players to three permanent players. I'm sure that will do for them.

How so? They've retained/signed Lukaku, Barry, Besic while not letting anybody note-worthy leave.

Mark Clattenburg should just spray that over Lallana's boots for the lols.

Cabaye 19m Debuchy 12m ------------------- 31m Ayoze 2m Colback 0 De Jong 6m Cabella 10m Janmaat 6m Riviere 6m ------------------- 30m Thereabouts.

Transfer expenditure around Cabaye and Debuchy total.

Lukaku. Cos he's the striker most suited to Pardew's prehistoric gameplans, is a proven goalscorer in this league and much more. Plus he's home-grown so we can get rid of one of the useless HG players we currently have.

Probably to you lot.

I sure he did and I'm sure he'd be good there but it's clear he's best as a #10. Januzaj may well be a kid, but it's clear he's a great player already. If you're good enough you're old enough. Rooney is a better player than Mata. If Rooney stays it's not worth the money. If Rooney goes, then by all means, please send Mata this way. Personal opinion and all that, I guess.

We scored 43 goals in the league last season and 45 the season we finished 16th. With no change in the defence baring Janmaat for Debuchy, you have to seriously consider if we would get a similar goals return from our current options. Will Cabella, de Jong and Riviere replace the 21 goals contribution from Remy and Cabaye?

Depends on how you define a legend then. It'd take more than appearances or simply good/very good to achieve legend status, one that belongs to Bobby Charlton, Alex Ferguson and Eric Cantona. Guess you are more liberal with your praise than the average person, considering you rate Januzaj as a 'great player' after half a season.

The vibes from Lacazette and Grenier suggest that they ain't keen to join us though.