Demba Ba deal in doubt.

It looks as though the near-certain deal to bring Demba Ba to Newcastle may not be so near-certain after all.

Speaking to the BBC, Alan Pardew has revealed that the deal has hit a snag thanks to the well-known medical issues that the player has and that a deal is still some way off being concluded thanks to some "big hurdles" that need to be overcome before the Senegalese international can sign on the dotted line.

"There is an issue about his medical, and there has been in the past," Pardew told BBC Newcastle. "We've got to overcome those things, but hopefully he can join the club. I think he'll be a big success."

Pardew added: "He's a player that has a natural eye for a goal, my connections at West Ham are very good and I know everything about him."

"I'm pretty relaxed that he can be a success at Newcastle if we can get him but it's a big if at the moment because there are some big hurdles to get across."

What isn't quoted is the fact that apparently Ba's condition is, ahem "manageable", although quite how manageable a degenerative bone disease can be is something that is what beyond my knowledge base. Is there a doctor in the house?

Clearly there are concerns over the medical condition of the player which will of course raise further questions about the wisdom of the move. What I will say though is that despite his apparent fragility he is yet to suffer a real serious injury. I guess this is what the medical is there to look at, so they can reasonably judge the risk of something happening.

So to me the moves look it may not go ahead after all, despite Pardew's positivity about the situation. I mean lets face it, he hardly has a good track record of getting his own way now does he? And if the deal looks like it will backfire on the club you can be certain that plug will be pulled along with the rug that is underneath the manager.

I do hope something can be sorted though. A look at Demba Ba's goalscoring record will show you that he can finish and knows where the back of the net is. We need a goalscorer. It's a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately it's turning out to be a transfer from hell.