Boro looking at Xisco?

Middlesbrough boss, Tony Mowbray is said to be monitoring the availablity of Xisco.

The misfit of Newcastle has alerted the misfit's of the North-East who are looking at a potential loan deal for the 24-year-old striker.

On the surface of it, I am asking why we haven't dumped him in the middle of Boro's industrial wasteland already, but it appears that there is a snag and that wages are the problem.

You see Xisco was signed on massive wages (in the region of ?50,000 a week), on a long term deal, and whilst Xisco had a good reputation at the time it is arguable whether or not he deserved the financial compensation on offer. Still, it's not his fault for taking it as, being quite honest, if somebody handed me a fistfull of dollars I wouldn't say no.

The problem is that these massive wages will come back to bite you on the bum, particularly if you have a player like Xisco who has done nothing at all, whether that be through his own fault or not, to justify them.

I actually think that a loan move would benefit Xisco. It will give him the opportunity to showcase what he has to offer and to get back in the swing of playing regular football again. You never know, he may come back a better player for it and with a point to prove to the Newcastle management and fans.

Of course on the flipside of that it could be argued that allowing Xisco out on loan would deplete our squad even further, although you have to wonder whether losing a player who has only played an hour or so of football all season long really be such a loss?

It's all kind of irrelevant at the minute to be honest as there seems to be this game of brinksmanship with regard to wages. Middlesbrough are, quite understandably, reluctant to pay the full amount whilst Newcastle are, again quite understandably, keen for any team to pay as much of his wages as possible.

I feel sorry and angry with regard to Xisco, in equal measure. I feel angered that he seems to not really be interested in playing and that he feigned injury (yes it was a while ago but it's unforgivable in my opinion), but I also feel sorry for the mess that Xisco found himself in with the turbulence going on at the time. Ironically, his only goal for the club was scored during the height of that turbulence.

You have to wonder why Xisco isn't even featuring, particularly when you consider some of the injury problems we have had since he arrived on Tyneside. Keegan didn't rate him, Kinnear didn't rate him, Shearer didn't rate him, Hughton didn't rate him and now Pardew seems to not rate him. These are all people who know more about football than we will ever know, and they will all have seen Xisco in greater depth that we ever will. You have to wonder why none of them rate him?

Would this be a good move?