Ashley calls the shots in transfer market.

A lot of hope is being pinned on this summer, particularly when it comes to player recruitments.

We have a good scouting department at the moment that, whilst being in it’s relative infancy, has already brought several youngsters to the club and has brought about the signings of Cheik Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa. Graham Carr is the man tasked with scoring the continent and scouting players of a similar ilk to those two, but with the hours he has put in I’d like to think he can come up with another couple of crackers in the summer.

However, despite all the leg work that is being put in to make sure we can find the best players for the least amount of money, it is ultimately the word of one man that any transfer hinges on – Mike Ashley. Of course this is no different to any other club in all honesty as ultimately it is the man at the top that calls the shots.

“Myself and Derek are under the guidance of Mike. He is the owner of the club and he says yes or no. We’d like to think we can bring a few very good players here,” Pardew told The Chronicle. “Derek Llambias and our scouting team are concentrating on bringing players in.”

As I said, it’s no different to any other club with the exception of Manchester United and perhaps Arsenal who have managers who have earned a little bit of authority in the board room. I guess we just have to hope that Mike Ashley is in the mood to back the man that he put in charge halfway through the season.

Signing a striker is going to be the priority over the summer. I actually don’t think our team is bad at all until you look towards the attack, which is why I’d like us to beef up our attacking options. I don’t expect wholesale changes, but I would certainly like to see better than what we have currently. Alan Pardew feels the same way judging by this:

“Our pool of strikers needs boosting – there is no doubt about that. That will be high on the agenda.”

“You go about it like you do any other time, there’s always a situation where a club needs a new striker. You just find the best possible striker for your football club and that’s what we’ll do.”

Fair enough. Speculation and all the boring and repetitive groans from the same people will no doubt continue, but I guess we can only evaluate the squad once everyone is signed up and the transfer window closes at the start of September. Hopefully Mike Ashley will give us more thumbs up than thumbs down this summer.

😕 😕 😕