Newcastle United transfer rumours in the press

[loki679]

that's the flipside as well i guess isn't it, given it's an ashley run club there will likely be no drive to just get people off the books by reducing transfer fees and such to make the deals more agreeable for buying clubs

 

off the top of my head i would personally want rid of as many of the following as possible with better replacements brought in in their positions

 

krul/darlow/elliot (2 from 3)

lazaar

gamez

hanley

colback

diame

haidara

gouffran (gone obvs)

murphy

mitro

de jong

saivet

riviere

 

...that's 14 players and how many could we be looking to get +£5m in fees for?  probably mitro and the keepers, the rest need to be shipped for very low fees to get them off the books but i can't see how this will ever happen

 

i think we'll get buyers for the likes of hanley and murphy but in order to dredge the last penny out of the deals they'll probably end up being very late in the window which is the last thing we want

 

Scary how we have such a long list of shite on our books. As much as Ashley is right to say we can't have this many players on our books, it's his disastrous transfer policy that's led to us accumulating so much shite.

 

Slightly ironic that a transfer policy of buying players for resale value has left us with a load of players we can't sell.

[TheInfiniteOdyssey]

Loftus-Cheek seems an absolute no-brainer of a signing to make, we're absolutely desperate for quality in the the centre of midfield. Last season we looked hopeless against Championship opposition when Shelvey was injured / not on it.

 

 

[Consortium of one]

This summer's window isn't the important one.  NEXT summer's window will really tell the tale...

[mighty__mag]

Loftus Cheek has never been tested anywhere on loan etc. He will likely never really make it into Chelsea's first 11 as a permanent member. I would loan him in and do a deal like with Atsu and pay after the loan if we are satisfied. Is the other lad Baker out of the question? Hes done more on loan and is just as coated at all England youth levels.

[Parsley]

Loftus Cheek has never been tested anywhere on loan etc. He will likely never really make it into Chelsea's first 11 as a permanent member. I would loan him in and do a deal like with Atsu and pay after the loan if we are satisfied. Is the other lad Baker out of the question? Hes done more on loan and is just as coated at all England youth levels.

Douglas mentioned that we had been offered Baker on loan I think. I agree by the way on Baker - has much more football under his belt.

[Mole_Toonfan]

O Jogo'n..

 

[Rich]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

[Yorkie]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

 

What's he like? I'm WiFi-less atm

[sempuki]

Chronicle:

 

United want Real Madrid goalkeeper?

As we reported last week Rafa Benitez is using his Real Madrid contacts for possible signings and one he wants is goalkeeper Kiko Casilla. Now Spanish paper Marca reports Benitez has asked about him.

[Leazes_End_Mag]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

Douglas and Ryder said we weren't interested for the fee Benfica want.

[Rich]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

 

What's he like? I'm WiFi-less atm

 

Keep in mind that these are largely just first impressions, but rather than just watching highlight reels I was looking at a selection of every involvement he's had in certain games against certain opponents (Benfica v Porto, Benfica v Sporting, Greece v Belgium, Benfica v smaller teams).

 

The things that stood out as being really positive were his positional awareness and speed at covering for full-backs (particularly his right-back as he often plays on the right side of the two in a 4-2-3-1), his ability to win the ball on the run when it seems like his opponent has gone past him and his calmness when receiving possession under pressure in his own half. He's constantly looking to provide his defenders with an out ball from what I can see, and contrary to what Jotenko said I'm not seeing a player who takes an age to make a decision. Most sequences see him finding space, receiving the ball and either playing a first time pass backwards/sideways or turning when there's less risk and looking to play forward.

 

The major negatives I can see are his aerial ability for a player of his size (around 6'2"), although he gets up well for aerial challenges he's often not getting much direction on his headers (which is a massively underrated way of retaining or gaining possession) and his speed across the ground, though you wouldn't necessarily expect a defensive midfielder of his stature to be fast. He's not slow, though, certainly looks more mobile than Shelvey and Colback if not quite as quick as Hayden. In addition to this he appears to be a yellow card fiend and can be a bit rash when committing to a challenge, but that sort of comes with the territory.

 

Just generally looks a classy operator and while £17.5m is obviously a hell of a lot of money for someone who has never been completely established as a first choice in Benfica's team, the route he's taken to the top (coming from lower leagues like many of the players Rafa has signed since coming) and the way he takes responsibility on the pitch makes it look like there's a lot to be positive about. Even at 28 now he looks like a player who could go on well into his 30's.

[Rich]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

Douglas and Ryder said we weren't interested for the fee Benfica want.

 

 

Just caught up on this, cheers. It does seem to be persisting, mind.

[Altamullan]

Glad to see you've found a new hobby here for your retirement Graham.  Seriously though, top scouting

[Mole_Toonfan]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

Douglas and Ryder said we weren't interested for the fee Benfica want.

 

 

Just caught up on this, cheers. It does seem to be persisting, mind.

 

This is why i'm starting to believe there's something in this, it's popping up far too much for it to just be another silly season rumor.

[TRon]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

 

What's he like? I'm WiFi-less atm

 

Keep in mind that these are largely just first impressions, but rather than just watching highlight reels I was looking at a selection of every involvement he's had in certain games against certain opponents (Benfica v Porto, Benfica v Sporting, Greece v Belgium, Benfica v smaller teams).

 

The things that stood out as being really positive were his positional awareness and speed at covering for full-backs (particularly his right-back as he often plays on the right side of the two in a 4-2-3-1), his ability to win the ball on the run when it seems like his opponent has gone past him and his calmness when receiving possession under pressure in his own half. He's constantly looking to provide his defenders with an out ball from what I can see, and contrary to what Jotenko said I'm not seeing a player who takes an age to make a decision. Most sequences see him finding space, receiving the ball and either playing a first time pass backwards/sideways or turning when there's less risk and looking to play forward.

 

The major negatives I can see are his aerial ability for a player of his size (around 6'2"), although he gets up well for aerial challenges he's often not getting much direction on his headers (which is a massively underrated way of retaining or gaining possession) and his speed across the ground, though you wouldn't necessarily expect a defensive midfielder of his stature to be fast. He's not slow, though, certainly looks more mobile than Shelvey and Colback if not quite as quick as Hayden. In addition to this he appears to be a yellow card fiend and can be a bit rash when committing to a challenge, but that sort of comes with the territory.

 

Just generally looks a classy operator and while £17.5m is obviously a hell of a lot of money for someone who has never been completely established as a first choice in Benfica's team, the route he's taken to the top (coming from lower leagues like many of the players Rafa has signed since coming) and the way he takes responsibility on the pitch makes it look like there's a lot to be positive about. Even at 28 now he looks like a player who could go on well into his 30's.

 

I was wondering why we thought £17M was too much to pay for a top quality midfielder given the money in the game today then I saw he's 28 yrs old. I don't care what our official line is, I reckon we will still struggle to pay that sort of fee for a player over 25.

[triggs]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

Douglas and Ryder said we weren't interested for the fee Benfica want.

 

 

Just caught up on this, cheers. It does seem to be persisting, mind.

Just as a matter of interest how did you watch the games or the bits where he was involved in games? Presume you didn't watch full matches

[Rich]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

Douglas and Ryder said we weren't interested for the fee Benfica want.

 

 

Just caught up on this, cheers. It does seem to be persisting, mind.

Just as a matter of interest how did you watch the games or the bits where he was involved in games? Presume you didn't watch full matches

 

I used Wyscout.

[Benwell Lad]

A CM should be the very top of our list. Very worrying that Rafa doesn't think so.

 

Ritchie may fancy that role and I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

He's good enough to do it so maybe the emphasis will be on a new wide man ??

[buzza]

If there was any chance of kovacic from madrid it would be a steal. Excellent player from the little I have seen of him. Box to box midfielder, with defensive attributes slightly better than attacking, good on ball and controls game rythym well...

[Disco]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

 

What's he like? I'm WiFi-less atm

 

Keep in mind that these are largely just first impressions, but rather than just watching highlight reels I was looking at a selection of every involvement he's had in certain games against certain opponents (Benfica v Porto, Benfica v Sporting, Greece v Belgium, Benfica v smaller teams).

 

The things that stood out as being really positive were his positional awareness and speed at covering for full-backs (particularly his right-back as he often plays on the right side of the two in a 4-2-3-1), his ability to win the ball on the run when it seems like his opponent has gone past him and his calmness when receiving possession under pressure in his own half. He's constantly looking to provide his defenders with an out ball from what I can see, and contrary to what Jotenko said I'm not seeing a player who takes an age to make a decision. Most sequences see him finding space, receiving the ball and either playing a first time pass backwards/sideways or turning when there's less risk and looking to play forward.

 

The major negatives I can see are his aerial ability for a player of his size (around 6'2"), although he gets up well for aerial challenges he's often not getting much direction on his headers (which is a massively underrated way of retaining or gaining possession) and his speed across the ground, though you wouldn't necessarily expect a defensive midfielder of his stature to be fast. He's not slow, though, certainly looks more mobile than Shelvey and Colback if not quite as quick as Hayden. In addition to this he appears to be a yellow card fiend and can be a bit rash when committing to a challenge, but that sort of comes with the territory.

 

Just generally looks a classy operator and while £17.5m is obviously a hell of a lot of money for someone who has never been completely established as a first choice in Benfica's team, the route he's taken to the top (coming from lower leagues like many of the players Rafa has signed since coming) and the way he takes responsibility on the pitch makes it look like there's a lot to be positive about. Even at 28 now he looks like a player who could go on well into his 30's.

 

I was wondering why we thought £17M was too much to pay for a top quality midfielder given the money in the game today then I saw he's 28 yrs old. I don't care what our official line is, I reckon we will still struggle to pay that sort of fee for a player over 25.

 

Benfica paid about half that for him which for them is a pretty big fee. No surprise their holding out for a player who has definitely improved his reputation during his time there.

 

His yellow card record is hilarious, makes Colback look composed in the tackle.

[Mole_Toonfan]

A CM should be the very top of our list. Very worrying that Rafa doesn't think so.

 

Ritchie may fancy that role and I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

He's good enough to do it so maybe the emphasis will be on a new wide man ??

 

He may fancy it but putting someone who have never played a position in his career is a recipe for disaster. He might have certain skills for it but he won't understand the decisions you have to make, where to be at what times and so on.

 

You see it with Rooney for England, technically he has the skills of a midfielder but he doesn't understand the role at all and looks like a deer in headlights.

 

 

[TRon]

Just sat watching Samaris clips for half an hour. I like it, I like it a lot.

 

One of the deals that hasn't been denied anywhere, right?

 

What's he like? I'm WiFi-less atm

 

Keep in mind that these are largely just first impressions, but rather than just watching highlight reels I was looking at a selection of every involvement he's had in certain games against certain opponents (Benfica v Porto, Benfica v Sporting, Greece v Belgium, Benfica v smaller teams).

 

The things that stood out as being really positive were his positional awareness and speed at covering for full-backs (particularly his right-back as he often plays on the right side of the two in a 4-2-3-1), his ability to win the ball on the run when it seems like his opponent has gone past him and his calmness when receiving possession under pressure in his own half. He's constantly looking to provide his defenders with an out ball from what I can see, and contrary to what Jotenko said I'm not seeing a player who takes an age to make a decision. Most sequences see him finding space, receiving the ball and either playing a first time pass backwards/sideways or turning when there's less risk and looking to play forward.

 

The major negatives I can see are his aerial ability for a player of his size (around 6'2"), although he gets up well for aerial challenges he's often not getting much direction on his headers (which is a massively underrated way of retaining or gaining possession) and his speed across the ground, though you wouldn't necessarily expect a defensive midfielder of his stature to be fast. He's not slow, though, certainly looks more mobile than Shelvey and Colback if not quite as quick as Hayden. In addition to this he appears to be a yellow card fiend and can be a bit rash when committing to a challenge, but that sort of comes with the territory.

 

Just generally looks a classy operator and while £17.5m is obviously a hell of a lot of money for someone who has never been completely established as a first choice in Benfica's team, the route he's taken to the top (coming from lower leagues like many of the players Rafa has signed since coming) and the way he takes responsibility on the pitch makes it look like there's a lot to be positive about. Even at 28 now he looks like a player who could go on well into his 30's.

 

I was wondering why we thought £17M was too much to pay for a top quality midfielder given the money in the game today then I saw he's 28 yrs old. I don't care what our official line is, I reckon we will still struggle to pay that sort of fee for a player over 25.

 

Benfica paid about half that for him which for them is a pretty big fee. No surprise their holding out for a player who has definitely improved his reputation during his time there.

 

We'd be asking for that sort of fee if it was us selling no doubt. It's an unworkable policy in today's football and self defeating. If we gave him a 5 year contract we'd get our money's worth anyway because he'd be here for at least 4 years unless we decided to sell.  You can either build football teams or bank balances. Building one leads to the other anyway.

[Figures 1-0 Football]

Douglas has just written a fairly decent piece:

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/newcastle-first-tranche-premier-league-13302188

 

Main points for those who don't want to infect their PC with AIDS:

 

- NUFC were waiting for the first batch of PL TV money before making waves in the transfer window, this has now been paid.

- The following PL money is paid monthly, with a bigger sum provided at the start of January to coincide with the transfer window.

- The budget is around £70m, although it's not made clear if that is including any sums brought in through sales.

- Benitez looking for 6 or 7 which explains why he is trying to get loan deals and players around the £10m-£15m mark.

- NUFC willing to listen to offers for players like Darlow, to clear the wagebill, increase transfer funds and squad spaces for targets Rafa wants.

- No information to suggest that NUFC wont break the transfer record, which puts to bed the rumours of a cap on funds. It sounds like Rafa has a lot of say and is deciding to bring in a number of players with his budget rather than just one or two superstars at £25m+

- Reina noted again as the preferred GK target.

[Dave]

Thanks for posting.

[Greg]

Useful summary so I don't have to click on that god awful website.