If Newcastle had signed these 4 players instead of West Ham it could have been job done
You can never tell for sure…but I can’t help thinking that West Ham have done transfer business that would have been ideal for Newcastle United.
Some Newcastle fans seem to have such a downbeat opinion of our club, crushed by 10 years under the rule of Mike Ashley and his propaganda merchants, that their expectations are so minimal as to be non-existent.
It isn’t a case of thinking/expecting that Newcastle could have landed the likes of Lukaku, Lacazette, Kyle Walker(!) and the other star signings at the top end of the scale.
However, I just don’t see the argument as to why we couldn’t have put ourselves seriously forward for the players West Ham have brought in.
It isn’t that NUFC would have necessarily been successful in competing for them, or indeed that the players would have been interested either, but surely we should have had our hat in the ring.
Javier Hernandez was £16m in the end BBC sport say, the Hammers bringing in this quality striker at the age of 29, a fair few years in him yet at the top.
Zabaleta on a free transfer from Manchester City, the Argentine international not past it at 32.
Then you have 30 year old Joe Hart on loan, a few million loan fee, and anybody who doesn’t think he is several levels above any of Newcastle’s current keepers must be bonkers.
The last of the quarter is Arnautovic, the 28 year old attacking midfielder/winger costing £20m initially, rising to potentially £25m.
So I make that around £40m for these four internationals, all with vast Premier League/international experience, rising to £45m as the potential total cost for West Ham.
I have to say, that Newcastle United have spent £32m on four signings who look pretty poor in comparison, Jacob Murphy has promise of course but still got it all to prove.
Newcastle surely needed, and Rafa wanted, experience to give the squad a massive boost, on their return to the Premier League.
Yet seemingly little/no effort was put into trying to get any of these four West Ham players, or indeed similar level ones who have gone to other clubs.
I look at that West Ham quarter and surely all four would have walked into the current Newcastle team, in contrast, NUFC could start the season with none of the new signings so far, making the first eleven.
It may go pear shaped for West Ham but I think those signings would have been perfect for Newcastle and fans would have been buzzing.
The West Ham wages are probably twice as much or more than the NUFC four but you do get what you pay for and I’d rather pay big wages for people to play in the first team, than lower wages for somebody to sit on bench or worse.
I’m sick of seeing so many sub-standard players brought in under Mike Ashley, that prove anything but bargains.
Time for major worries now I think. Just hope the secret transfers are imminent…
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