Demba Ba set to sign for Newcastle?

The Ba is nearly open!
It looks as though Demba Ba is one the verge of signing for Newcastle United with numerous sources suggesting that the players is currently in talks with the club.

Interest in the West Ham striker has been strong ever since the Hammers suffered relegation, with the emergence of a clause in his contract allowing the player to move for a free upon said relegation only serving to increase the speculation regarding the player.

Whether or not it’s true remains to be seen, but it’s getting to the point where there are that many people reporting it that I’d tend to put a bit more credence into the rumour. If it is true then I’ll guess all that is left to do is discuss personal terms and get a medical sorted out.

It’s that last bit that could cause the problem, like it has done before for the player. Remember, he has failed two medicals, although on the flipside of that he looked absolutely fine for West Ham and took to scoring in the Premier League like a proverbial duck to water. Hopefully we’ll see more of the latter.

Ba would be a good signing if he can steer clear of his injury worries, and a degenerative bone issue is a worry in my book. My hope is that he isn’t going to be the only striker we’ll see coming into the club over the summer.

Mind you, lets get this one over the line first!

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

106 thoughts on “Demba Ba set to sign for Newcastle?

  1. Looks a decent signing and certainly better than we have got. If his knees hold out could be a cracking buy/free 😀

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  2. I hope they’re sure he’ll be committed 😕
    Potential to be a stud on a free!

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  3. Be a very good signing if he could just pass his medical, otherwise come up with some compromise, if your legs aren’t working you you get half pay, i’d still rather we had him even if he is an injury worry, class player

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  4. Everytime I see that pic it’s looks like hes threatening to stabb someone 😛

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  5. Would be a good signing…..he scored 9 in 12 at a struggling west ham and showed he could play in the EPL easily…

    For a free you cant complain….reminds me a bit of gosling though he was free and he barely played! both have dodgy knees too… 🙄

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  6. Lobacka- I think the club actually prefer players with injury problems 😆

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  7. Thought I was the only one that noticed that, JG. SHANK!

    Looks good, as long as there’s a clause in his contract that protects the club against his rather worrying knee issue. Not bad business at all, if it comes off.

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  8. I wouldn’t be so quick to say he’s proven himself. Remember a few years back when Benjani was banging in goals for fun at pompey, then fell off the face of the earth?

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  9. Lads…just a thought…nolan had a dodgy ankle which was operated on? wont he fail a medical? and maybe the toon saw a long term issue with the ankle…..positive thinking and all that 😈

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  10. cwarr07 Colin
    Pardew interested in bringing in Jonathan Spector, available on a free, contact made with his representatives #nufc
    1 minute ago

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  11. Why Spector? Would only be a squad player (hopefully) and wouldn’t neil Taylor do that for us?

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  12. A real replacement for the £35million pound Geordie Andy Carroll….thanks Mr Ashley and Mr Partridge and Mr OwlHeed. 🙄

    I think we can safely say the Mr Ashley will be laughing all the way to the casino again in this transfer window…let the pantomime roll on…..the gasps and frustration of almost signing this, just missing out on that…..all pantomime.

    Real intent in a transfer window costs money but MA is more concerned about the price of PG Tips for the canteen than investing properly in the 1st Team.

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  13. Ba Humbug. Not very impressed to say the least. However I felt the same wasy when we signed Belamy.

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  14. hahaha,

    Only trouble with the Vader march, or whatever it is, is being able to tie it up well – it gets a bit high-pitched and fast towards the end. Could get messy. I think another good chant idea, although the younger Toon fans may not remember it, would be the old Pearl and Dean tune from Cinema ads – Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba BaBaBa, Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba, Ba-Ba, Ba-Baaaah ya!

    …anyway, too much skiving. Back to work……..

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  15. ‘move for a free’ – says it all doesn’t it. Ashley’s strategy of making a profit in every transfer window since Kinnear continues.

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  16. I like profit. I also like squad improvement. BA may not be 1st choice, but he looks to be better than most of our current strikers.

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  17. We still have 2 months left!!!
    So if a player is on a free he’s no good?
    If you take out the Carroll fee, we have paid more for transfers than we’ve gotten back.
    Take a breather… 😉

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  18. Premandup-I like Profit 😯
    I was looking on .org yesterday and loads of people are saying Nolan excellent business for £4-5million…..like they are getting some share in that money or that money will be spent on players.

    The club is run to make MA profits not the club which has been proven time and time again under this regime…..so don’t get so excited about the profits.

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  19. Sirjasontoon- ok so prove it, I’m interested in hearing how a club in debt and floating on a noninterest loan from MA is giving him profits. ❓

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  20. Neil, so when good players are on a free transfer we should ignore them? Well lets hope the rest of the EPL do just that when Barton’s contract runs out eh.. 😆

    Would be a good signing, but I can see him getting crocked straight away, so bring in some others as well Ash!

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  21. Hi, a loyal Hammer here, just wanted to say if you do get him he’ll do well for you lot, he hasn’t got the best touch in the world and the old bag of cement line comes to mind but he can half finish and you give him a sniff and he’ll score, good luck for the season, thanks for Nolan, just what we need and say hello to Pards

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  22. Digger the mod – did you think pards did a good job for you lot?

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  23. Fantastic player for us to get for nothing, his West Ham record says everything for me, 7 goals in 12 games playing in a team that was really struggling to create or take chances, very happy if we get him

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  24. Thanks JG @ 31 that’s the question I wan’t answered I can find no evidence that MA has taken a penny out of the club. Not shown in accounts.

    Would not be surprised if he broke his transfer record this window on last piece of jigsaw

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  25. @26

    I don’t see the point in giving out about a signing simply because its free, are you suggesting we steer clear of good deals that improve the team and just spend big money on 2 players just so that the money is spent, would that really bring an end to the whinging????
    To be honest i would love for Ashley to make profit out of all of this as long as he consistently invests in the club and keeps upgrading the team and stadium.
    oops rant 🙄

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  26. I am not an accountant but MA has continually sold assets and doesn’t replace them.

    We have made £40m just off the Carroll and Nolan money alone only a fraction of that will be reinvested in the 1st team that is why we are chasing cheapos from swansea and scotland or freebies from relegated sides and flogging the likes of Enrique more than likely with more quality being shown the door by MA and his team of Tyrants.

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  27. You say Enrique will be shown the door jason, but he’s been offered a new contract?

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  28. Liam, Pards is very well liked a West Ham because he tried to play football and brought in a good positive coulture to the club, unfortunately he has a flaw and its he’s ego, he’s nickname with the players was ‘Vanilla’ coz if he could lick himself he would! But he was liked, he struggled at first but then come very good in the end, you have a good man who just needs to rein in that ego.

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  29. Surely people can appreciate the level of debt he took on? Draw comparisons with the goverment and how we are putting up with this **** there too.

    A couple of good free’s is not a bad thing, because we can sell them on for profit. I dont think football clubs ever make profits, but theres clearly a desire to reduce wages somewhat to comply with the upcoming rule changes.

    This will only work short term and as a result we will need to increase revenue somehow. New markets, selling naming rights etc are what every club will need to do. I suspect thats the reason we are touring USA pre-season and may get a couple of ‘unknown’ players to attract interest from afar

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  30. I agree, we shouldn’t knock back a player because they’re available on a free but neither should we make it the main focus of our transfer policy. Have a look at all the figures for transfer dealings under Ashley’s ownership and you’ll see the most he’s paid for a player was £9.1 million for Colo back in 2008. Every transfer window after that he’s made a profit and invested very little back into the squad. A profit is all well and good but if it’s not being invested in the squad what good does it do?

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  31. Andrew-You say Enrique will be shown the door jason, but he’s been offered a new contract?

    Players know that NUFC have no ambition-Given left for that very reason.

    That is probably the reason Nolan has decided he is better off with a championship side too….the noises coming out of SJP don’t sound good to me. 😉

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  32. Jason

    Nolan left because he wanted a 5 year contract, not because we have no ambition – he must have no ambition if hes going back to the Championship…

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  33. Sirjasontoon- 40mil is not even half of what the club owes Ashley.
    I say again, if you take out the Carroll fee (which we haven’t been able to invest yet) the club has paid more for transfers than we’ve gotten back in selling players.
    I can understand you hate Ashley and all that but don’t let your hatred twist the truth, it only hurts the club.
    Truth is if Ashley hadn’t bought the club and kept us a float, we all might be looking for a new club to support… It took me a while to realize.
    The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be able to enjoy the progress and bright future we look to be having ATM.

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  34. Are we forgetting the massive debt he inherited and the fact we were relegated? All this costs money man. You cant continue to run at a loss. I am sure you dont spend more than you bring in do you.

    I am in no way an Ashley lover, I will just wait and see what does occur in the window before declaring my position

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  35. Neil- that is simply not true.
    The only thing that put us in the green re transfers was the Carroll sale which 35mil will do that.
    I have looked at the transfers and you should look again. In the combined time Ashley has been the owner, the club had spent more then brought in until Carroll was sold.

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  36. Rodzilla we were relegated to the Championship, i think that may have been reason enough to sell a few players?

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  37. @JG These are the figures I’ve got, looks like he’s made a profit since Kinnear.

    Keegan
    Players IN – 18.9 million
    Players OUT – 17.15 million
    Balance = – 1.75 million

    Kinnear
    Players IN – 4 million
    Players OUT -8 million
    Balance = + 2.25 million

    Shearer
    Players IN – 0
    Players OUT – 0
    Balance = + 2.25 million

    Hughton
    Players IN – 0
    Players OUT – 9 million
    Balance = 11.25 million

    Pardew
    Players IN – 5.75 million
    Players OUT – 35 million
    Balance = 40.5 million

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  38. hear what you’re saying Lobacka, but that clear out was more to do with reducing the wage bill and shipping out dead wood, rather than selling top players.

    Dunno, I just know since Ashley took over I’ve been disappointed or underwhelmed in every single transfer window.

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  39. I think BA is a good risk, but NUFC will have to have several strikers to step in if and/or when Ba comes up lame.

    And who knows, Best may grab the striker spot in pre-season and not let go, leaving Ba as a top rate back-up. I’d certainly prefer Ba to come on as striker than Nolan.

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  40. my only worry with moveing out P.L. players and replaceing them with oversea players we could be heading for a big fall,yes some handle it but have moved normally clubs in CL where they get time to settle as they have other players to cover for them while they bed in,,toon will need them to hit the ground running,when you think of the so called great players that came and fell on there ****,veron,crespo,folan,ect ect,yes some do settle quick,look at toon how long it took collo,jonas to settle,its just a worry to me 😕

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  41. Neil – thats fine, but you need to generate money and the club has been running at a loss

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  42. Neil – Hughton signed players, for a start – Routledge? Pancrate? Admittedly few of them came for much, but there were small fees and wages involved, it adds up!

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  43. jerseygeordie….sorry mate but you are wrong…neil N @53.. you are wrong too mate… ashley has made even more than that, wee are pushing over 60 million now. will get all the names and figures but 100% we have always made money on players sold to bought………not to mention that the wages bill has been haved … i dont mind profit and selling but we need to be moving in the right direction….. now that is the big fan splitter… are we moving in right direction.

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  44. Rodzilla @ 54
    it is true that the transfer window for us for a number of years now has been poor, Mike was left with a mess, don’t think he realised how big of a mess but I do believe he is doing his best now to get the club on a good financial footing and taking us forward.
    I mean I for one don’t want to see another big money flop walk through the door, step forward Mr Owen.
    I’d rather cheap logical buys that’ll help the club going forward

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  45. Newcastle apparently hoping to sign Tranquillo Barnetta, the dude who scored both goals for Switserland in the 2-2 with England, now that would be a great signing, but would that signal the exit for Gutierrez ? We already have Ben Arfa returning next season, Lovenkrands can play on the wing AND up front, Gosling plays on the wing sometimes, AND Jonas ? Plus i’m sure his wages would not be a pretty number for Ashley’s eyes ?

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  46. Id be more inclined to think it is McLovin heading ou the door but we wait and see. Jonas doesnt have enough of an end product IMHO

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  47. Rodzilla- cheers for the link but that site doesn’t seem that accurate but going by it on the team transfers page:
    Since Ashley has been owner the club have made almost 33mil in profit on transfers.
    Take away The 35 mil for Carroll which we haven’t been able to invest yet and that means the club has paid out 2 mil more than has been brought in.
    This INCLUDES a year in which we were relegated and sold a lot of players with out making any big signings because of our fizzy pop status.
    Add to that the fact that we were paying alot of players prem wages without getting prem revenues and I’d say a lot of the money brought in from transfers that year would barely cover the loss in revenue.
    I’m not having a go at u either and like I said I can understand the hatred towards Ashley, but if ppl just stopped and thought about it and looked at the facts, they might feel a little better about our situation.
    But just moaning about stuff that isn’t true or waiting to take the **** outta Ashley any chance they get only hurts the club IMO
    We have the best support in the world so let’s do what we do best, and support.

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  48. Yes I know Hughton did but they were for undisclosed fees just as some of the outgoing players went for undisclosed fees.I can only give you the figures that are there, not the ones that aren’t. The point I’m trying to make is, If Ashley can’t splash the cash on players because the club is running at a loss, then why doesn’t he just say so instead of getting his puppets to promise this that and the other and then leave the fans totally dejected at the end of another totally underwhelming transfer window?

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  49. This is the way I see it in regards to some supporters….. No matter how many good/great players we sign this window, if we haven’t spent the full 35m it will be a disaster.. FFS just because we have loads of money to spend it doesn’t mean we should just go and spend it willy nilly. There sure are some miserable f*ckers out there. There are good points made around how our new players will adapt, but crying because we have been wise with our money do date is ludicrous…

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  50. Neil your figures are wrong in many ways, refer to my previous post please.
    And starting from JFK shows a blatant attempt to skew the figures on a **** take as you know most of the money spent was pre JFK and post JFK we had our relegation season which obviously we weren’t going to spend as much 😐

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  51. I was under the impression managers were present when contract talks took place and were present to see the offer put foward to a player, Pardew has said in an interview with a paper (concerning Nolan leaving to join West Ham) ”i am aware the club made a good offer to stay, but could not agree over the length.” Do i have it wrong, are managers not present when contracts are negotiated ??

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  52. To add to @JerseyGeordie’s argument:

    Transfer fees are only half the argument, anyway. We pay in full, upfront. We receive fees staggered over years to maintain a revenue stream.

    Therefore, if we buy 1 player for £5m and sell one for £6m, we’re still going to make a loss that year. Factor in wages as well (Tiote’s on more now than when he signed, free players are still paid weekly) and it’s not hard to argue that Ashley has pocketed nothing.

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  53. Ashley isn’t picking these players either is he?
    Another reason why he hasn’t spent as much since he started is because Fat Sam wasted a lot of his money on rubbish and made mike skittish hence the whole wise fiasco and apparently St. Hoots sacking…,

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  54. Can’t understand the negativity going on here.

    Right now we have a team that’s capable of finishing around 10th-15th position. The players that are already at the club will not take it forward. If we’re serious about Europe and at least finishing in the top half of the league and taking a proper shot at the cups, we need better players in. That means players out.

    It’s bad business to have 40k-50k players on the bench or not even in the 18. If you add up and Nolan’s salary for a year, that’s more than 5m. Might as well bring in Tony Robbins to motivate the squad to walk over hot coals on that money.

    Influence is one thing, but if Kevin Nolan “loves” the club so much, he should have taken the 50k offered to him for 3 years. That’s plenty of money, most of us will see that kind of money in a year, he’s getting it in a week. Going to West Ham proves that he’s only looking out for himself, no one else. That’s not the kind of influence I want in the club – on and off the pitch.

    I remember a few years ago there was a big deal made about our then captain Owen and getting him to stay. Captains are replaceable and Nolan is no exception. Let’s see what the club does in the next 2+ months before we all go crying that the sky is falling down.

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  55. Jersey@63 …..thank hitman for the link, I saw him post it yesterday

    Lobacka@60 and Jersey again…….yeah, I’m hoping the last 5/6 years or whatever have just been an uncomfortable ‘sort the club’s mess out’ slog, and this is the season we really start to kick some ***. Must admit I think that every window like. Fingers crossed and HTL! Back to work…….

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  56. That is very true, out of the players signed by Allardyce, only Enrique,Smith and Barton have done anything good for the club. Geremi, Cacapa and Rozehnal were all flops

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  57. Nolan wanted to end his career at toon and wanted a 5 year deal to give him and his family security, we rightly said nope we’ll give you a one year extension with money based on where we finish in league
    He said no thanks, West Ham said we’ll give you 5 year contract on decent money with a bonus if we go back up to prem next season, he said where do I sign
    I don’t blame player or the club on this one, it’s football

    Where are the ‘exciting signings’
    Ba – he’s decent but very injury prone
    Neil Taylor – he was in conference couple of seasons back and has 1 season in championship, here to replace a LB on the verge of the world cup champions
    Zogs – decent
    Cabaye – decent
    Barnetta – jurys out for me, he had a poor season, will he do any better in the prem

    I’d actually be surprised to see Zogs and Barnetta in same team

    2 months to go so still hoping for better – tho I’m aware that the club can only bid and try to persuade players to come based on potential of toon then it depends who will actually join us

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  58. Last off season was a decent window.

    2004/5 15th
    2005/6 7th
    2006/7 13th
    2007/8 12th
    2008/9

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  59. Aussie Magpie Fan
    Posted June 16, 2011 at 1:27 PM

    “This is the way I see it in regards to some supporters….. No matter how many good/great players we sign this window, if we haven’t spent the full 35m it will be a disaster.. ”

    Completely agree. I’ve said it for ages and stick by it. Maybe it would ease people’s doubts if we paid say £7 million for Ba instead?

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