“I am still confident that I can pay for this club. I keep reading stories that I want to leave but that is not the case and I am still completely focused on the team.”

The Belgian defender is desperate for games to make sure of his World Cup squad place in Brazil and this season he has only made two starts in the League Cup, none in the Premier League.

In an ideal world, if as expected Colo goes, then having both Taylor AND Vermaelen at Newcastle could be an excellent partnership. However, I fear transfer cash is going to be in short supply from Ashley and so sacrificing Taylor to bring in Vermaelen would be two steps forward and one back, but still represent improvement.