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Tyne Talk

Window – Can NUFC Fans Relax Now?

12 years ago
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After the Carroll fiasco 12 months ago and the Shay Given one in 2009, naturally like most of you I wasn’t looking forward to  January and it wasn’t just the post-Christmas blues.

However, as well as the cracking win over Manchester United we have all enjoyed the  stunning signing of Papiss Cissé. Yes almost all of us believe that a sizeable amount of Carroll money should still have been available to help Alan Pardew strengthen his squad but the perception was that Mike Ashley would be happy with the guaranteed Premier League safety and not see any reason to speculate.

Instead Newcastle pulled off a signing that surely must have pleased and relieved everybody, we all get to see a striker who at last will be able to do Demba Ba justice as a strike partner, while based on Cissé’s goal record and profile, I think Mike Ashley can look on it as a very good bit of business in terms of adding value to his ‘business’.

On the outgoing front things have become very quiet, worryingly so for many! After an anxious and predictable lead-in to the transfer window with pretty much every one of our quality players linked to another club, the actual window itself seems to have been a different matter with amazingly Newcastle still (as I write) having done the biggest bit of incoming business. Cahill’s long anticipated move to Chelsea weighing in at around £7m, a couple of million or so below United’s splashing out onPapiss Cissé.

So can we now relax? I know you can never say never but I can’t see any of our three African stars leaving; Ba has only been here two minutes and according to reports his contract wouldn’t allow him to leave this early anyway, while Tiote is embroiled in his country’s quest for the African Cup Of Nations, so I just can’t visualise a deal happening for all kinds of logistical reasons, while with our third African player we’ve just signed him!

For those on the home front; Steven Taylor is knackered at the moment, I just couldn’t see Cabaye leaving – especially after just arriving, as for Coloccini I just can’t see it happening – he is now captain of the best (and improving) Newcastle team we’ve had since his arrival, which leaves us with Tim Krul.

What if a ‘ridiculous’ offer comes in for our flying Dutchman? This would maybe be the biggest test of where Mike Ashley is prepared to try and take the club, if say an offer of £15m was made for a player who cost nothing. Plus many have a perception that maybe goalkeepers are more expendable than say strikers or midfielders and you can always pick up an adequate replacement.

With Fraser Forster apparently all set to join Celtic permanently I just can’t see anything happening with regard to Krul either.

Obviously the best thing of all is you look at our current position and you’d have to ask why would anybody want to leave, which coupled with no United player apparently actively looking for a move, maybe we can start to sleep more comfortably in our beds.

If we make it through this transfer window without any crisis then whether you put it down to having an improving team/club, Financial Fair Play putting the brakes on certain clubs, or England’s top(?) manager having jail on his mind rather than unsettling players, who cares?!!

 

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