Has Xisco gone to Deportivo for good this time?

It would appear that Xisco has returned to Spain to his former club Deportivo la Coruna, with the only question mark being whether the deal is a permanent one or a temporary one.

Personally, any deal that gets rid of Xisco is good one in my opinion although obviously a permanent one would be better as it would mean that he won't return.

According to the oracle that is Wikipedia (I know!) it is a permanent deal although there is a distinct lack of any other confirmation on that front with other sources stating that the deal is just a temporary one. Perhaps one of the losers that edit Wiki will run along now and change it?

Will he be back or won't he? It seems strange that whilst the club are keen to offer out free transfers to the likes of Joey Barton and Alan Smith they would be willing to keep hold of Xisco who has had about 60 managers to work under during his time at St James' Park but has managed to impress none.

Perhaps he has been offered the same way out as Smith and Barton although I personally find it hard to believe that Deportivo would be able to remunerate Xisco to anywhere near the same level that we have been for the past three years or so, especially when you consider that they are no longer a La Liga side having suffered relegation last season.

To me all the signs point towards it being yet another loan deal with us being almost certain of picking up most of his wage tab in the process. I'm not too fussed on that to be honest as at least we'll be saving a little bit and keeping Xisco around is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. At least it frees up another place in the squad I guess although in fairness we could actually replace him with nobody and be no worse off.

Am I being too hard on Xisco? Probably. Do I care? Not really. I understand that it's not his fault that he has been paid a fortune for doing absolutely nothing during his time at NUFC. Being honest I'd milk it for as long as I could aswell. The thing that does irk me is that he hasn't even bothered to at least make an effort when he has been here. There has been no urgency to prove a point and to me that is not what being a professional is about.

So goodbye Xisco. Hopefully this time for good!