This move represents a real coup for the club in my opinion.
Santon has undoubted talent and potential and has drawn praise from illustrious names such as Marcelo Lippi, Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo for his performances. However he has found himself out on the fringes of the Inter Milan set up in recent months and even went on loan last season to get some playing time.
At only 20 years old there is plenty of time for him to improve. From what I’ve researched of him there seem to be little doubt about his ability with the main question mark being about his confidence. That is a job for Alan Pardew who will have to try and work out a way to rebuild the belief and get him back on the right track. Judging by the job he has done with Steven Taylor I’d say that Pards has a good chance of achieving that.
Santon has signed on for five years at St James’ Park and cost in the region of £5 million although the exact amount is hidden behind the undisclosed fee label. Nonetheless it’s a fantastic bit of business to get a player of his calibre for a fee which, in all fairness, is fairly modest.
Alan Pardew is understandably delighted to have captured a player who can play on both sides of the defence and who is likely to replace Jose Enrique’s vacant left-back role.
Speaking to the club website Pardew said: “We are delighted to bring to Davide to Newcastle. He is a quality left-back and an established international who also gives us flexibility in defence.”
“Davide is a young lad and a great signing for us and I am sure he will adapt to the Premier League very quickly.”
It certainly seems as though left-back is a position that has been nailed on by Santon. He may well be right-footed but he started the majority of his 40 appearances for Inter Milan in that very role. We’ll see how it works out and how he adapts.
I suppose I must give a bit of credit to Derek Llambias for this. I’m quick to criticise him for his transfer dealings and the way he negotiates so I guess I have to be fair and let him have his moment of glory. Llambias said:
“The signing of Davide Santon is a real coup for this Club. It confirms our commitment to bringing quality players whose best years are ahead of them to St. James’ Park.”
Last and by no means least I guess we need to hear what the player in question has had to say about his move to the North-East. I’d really love for someone to ask him if he has ever seen a Mackem in Milan? I don’t think it will happen though unfortunately.
Speaking of his move Santon said: “I am really pleased to sign for Newcastle. The chance to play in the Premier League and in front of 50,000 fans at St. James’ Park was too good to turn down.”
“This is an ambitious club who want to move forward and I want to help them achieve that.”
It’s a very good move and caps need to be doffed to those involved. We have a player who has played in Champions League ties and won titles in Italy who still has potential to improve. In fact his potential is virtually untapped and he is already a full Italy international.
Hopefully he settles in quickly and we can see him in action against Queens Park Rangers in a couple of weeks time.
Welcome to Newcastle, Davide!
1st
BellyToon(Quote)
I think he’s one of those players that can play on the left and be right-footed just like Jonas. The pair of them could be a force in the premier league, Santon looks quick and like he gets forward so hopefully we will see some of his attacking quality. Question now is Raylor to RB? I would say yes atm.
DJG(Quote)
Well done Toonsy ya banged that one out in record time. 😆
Must be time for the server to crash soon 😈
Do we know if this new lad speaks Engish at all.
I was a bit radged yesterday when the Pieters deal collapsed, as I really wanted a left footed LB at the club. But I have to admit this seems to be an ok signing, so I’ll not judge him yet. He gets my backing and I wish him luck.
😆 😆 😆
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Good signing by all accounts, I would say Ashley deserves credit but then perhaps it could have been sorted out earlier? Anyway what’s done is done…lets see if we can bring in a good striker and I’d say we’ve had a successful window.
Newkie(Quote)
DJG – Raylor to RB ❓
right back on the bench more likely 😕
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
OK so now we seem to be operating in the realms of fantasy football, how about deadline day swoops for Miralem Pjanić, Sotiris Ninis and Stevan Jovetić??? 😀
Toon Chicken(Quote)
TC I hear Messi is bored with winning everything under the sun and wants a challenge as it’s too easy with all of the class players they have at barcelona. 😆
Micky Toon(Quote)
Bellytool – wrong blog mate.
You want Ed’s on .com for that ***** 👿
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Don’t know much about him to be honest, but I have heard enough people heap praise on him so I guess he must have something.
Don’t know what bullshit he’s been fed about the club though… Ambitious? 😉
Stuart79(Quote)
We are slowly but surely building a young and exciting squad with flair and pace. i just hope they can gel together quickly. Having said that i think Pardew is the man to do it. I hope this isnt the last signing for us , maybe a couple more tomorrow.
BellyToon(Quote)
Not sure how Ashley deserves any credit in this like.
Does Ashley personally sign the players up?
More like pardew, Carr, owl heed. Although I hate to give owl heed praise for anything.
Micky Toon(Quote)
Well done to DL & MA for eventually signing a quality leftback, better late than never.
Not bothered what anybody else says but I think we have a canny little team with hopefully more to follow, or 1, perhaps a loan 😆
toon toon!!
mark(Quote)
Haway Micky you cant blame MA for everything that goes wrong without giving him the credit when things go right .. who do you think made all the appointments? … coooome on MA is doing sweet man
TOONPIPES(Quote)
So he first played for senior squad in march 2009 aged 18 and last called up, but didn’t play? march 2011. Made 40 appearences for Inter between 2009-2011 but went on loan for end of last season because he wasn’t getting games.
Seems to have had an amazing start to his career and then it tailed off a little and had some injuries. Anybody see similarities here between him and Marveux? Obertan? Ba? Is this our transfer policy, look for talented players that have fallen out of favour and then try and get them for value amounts. Seems like it to me.
DJG(Quote)
Well…well….well …Sunderland are ****** now!
Gyan going!
toonarmy87(Quote)
@BellyToon
hear hear! I’m pretty excited to see Santon. I think its time to look forward to some nice football with the players we’ve signed and the young’un coming thru.
Fair enuf the club are tight bast****s but the players they have signed does show they’re not totally unambitious. If they were we would have Smith and Guthrie in the middle, routledge on the wing etc..etc..
We still need a forward signed before 2moro night tho, which I think we’ll do.
mark(Quote)
I’m hoping Brewsy blows his load on that lanky c*nt at Spurs 😆 😆
~ El Toro ~(Quote)
elliot in… on nufc official 😯
Patrick O’Sullivan(Quote)
This signing is really in the same catagory as Ben Arfa. Young international with huge potential for around £5M – credit were due to ma and dl.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
@toonarmy87
Gyan going! 😆 😆
that would make my night even sweeter..
mark(Quote)
Elliot on the official site
http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20110830/elliot-becomes-a-magpie_2281670_2436768
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Big Sham has signed Papa Bouba Diop ‘the wardrobe’. Suprise suprise, gonna try and play some good rugby to get to the play-offs and set piece the opposition into submission? 😉
DJG(Quote)
Off topic, but the news that rangers the champions of spl have rejected a bid fro Leicester city of the championship must put to bed that the top two in spl are not pl quality. It’s one of their good players, not some kid on the bench either.
Micky Toon(Quote)
I thought I logged onto the wrong soite with all of thius positivity. Where’s Bobby with a modified prediction? 😆
MDS(Quote)
@toonsy
how comes youre the only blog to get the official pic? you got an insider 😉
mark(Quote)
So Ryan Taylor is going to be in the bench? Or Santon as RB and R.Taylor as LB?
JP(Quote)
DJG – They are prepared to gamble on quality like Ba and Marveaux who has had serious injuries in the past, and they come to look like bargains at the price we are getting them at. As you say Obertan fell out of favor at man utd and we were quick to pounce at him too at a low price. Obertan also being a player with huge potential.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Mark right click, save as from the official site. 😆
Micky Toon(Quote)
Papa Bouba Diop was an amazing player, could of been one of the best enforcers in the prem, not sure what happened. did he just turn pap?
mark(Quote)
jp can’t drop raylor. Perhaps simmo?
Micky Toon(Quote)
What about the rumour we have had a 10m euro bid rejected for Papiss Cisse? Anyone still think we’ll sign a striker? Think it’s getting too close for comfort like.
Stuart79(Quote)
DJG @ 22 – gotta agree with ya again on that one 🙂 thank **** he isnt our manager anymore.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
I have to say its good to be talking a bit more positivelytoday nd admit thati have benn a bit gloomy over the last couple of weeks but things seem to be looking up.
stevey c(Quote)
I have that question because Ryan Taylor has been magnificent as LB the matches he played.
JP(Quote)
That says to me Harper’s knees are knackered. Elliot will slot onto the bench and Soderpop back where he belongs in the ressies.
DJG(Quote)
@Micky Toon
lol 😀 ee technology, amazing stuff 😆
can yer dee that like? isnt that theft? didnt realise toonsy had a criminal past 😆
mark(Quote)
JP @ 26 – maybe simmo will be given a little rest to clear his mind re his family for now. Cant see Raylor keeping simmo out for good at rb.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Stuart – The alarming thing is that, apparently, our rejected bid and what they will accept are just 1 million quid apart.
toonsy(Quote)
Micky Toon,
It’s Jelavic, a £6.5m bid by Leicester. It’s more than we’ve spent on a singular player recently, lol. The Championship teams are going crazy with spending currently.
Rangers and Celtic have larger fan bases and similar (Ibrox) and larger (Parkhead) stadiums to us. Give them the EPL money and within two years, they are ahead of us in the table. It’s economics. I see Celtic signed a striker we were linked with today, what does that say?
Anyway, I expect a Man City bid for Messi tomorrow. Flat out £100m. Someone is gonna do something crazy, it’s one of the last, if not the last, transfer window where teams are going to be able to do insane deals.
funkyjesus(Quote)
Mark – In the small print somewhere it says that all image rights belong to their respective owners 😉
toonsy(Quote)
And Forster back where he belongs @ ‘Europe’s greatest club’…. if your a Leprechaun. 😉
DJG(Quote)
AlanPardewProject
Starting to look like we will have selection headaches for a change
stevey c(Quote)
How come we never see certain people when there is good news about? 😈
toonsy(Quote)
DJG – Or a terrorist 😆
I should slip that in my next Celtic baiting article 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Stevey C @ 42 – yeah that would be something for a change wouldnt it?? 🙂
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
Think I’m gonna barf at all this *** licking of cashley ffs
Where’s our striker ya fat Kunt. Only been waiting 8 fuggin months 😈 😈
Feel better now 😆
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Only joking by the way FJ 😉
toonsy(Quote)
@toonsy
lol nice 1 😉
I reckon its troy who took the pic, he’s working for you like a skanky *****. As long as we dont give him too much **** he’ll do owt.. 😆
mark(Quote)
Give credit where credit is due. This is a **** good signing and will no doubt give the other players a good lift, except perhaps those who are likely to be shunted out to the subs bench.
I also bet Barton, Nolan and Carroll are looking back at what might have been at the Toon. The only exception is Enrique who is doing alright in his new red shirt.
Paul in Hollywood(Quote)
FJ, just joshing mate.
Micky Toon(Quote)
Yeah toonsy, we’ve apparently bid 13m Euro’s for him and they want 15m Euro’s. That’s not too far apart and I suppose we’ll have to watch this space. Regarding Rob Elliot, I think he’ll be our number two very soon. Harper may be on the bench for the next few months but Elliot will then keep the bench warm after that when Harper works his way to the exit door. Pardew has worked with him before so I’ll back him to be a suitable number two.
Ahmed4nufc(Quote)
Can any 1 tell me where all the Cisse bid links are please???
I think i speak for us all when it would give everyone a lift if we get a class striker in! 😀
toonarmy87(Quote)
i reckon some folk on here are getting there back-sack and crack done in preparation for the big window countdown 😀
mark(Quote)
Does anybody have decent sources for the Cisse rumor? I saw one on Fans FC, but who the hell knows if they’re just making **** up?
Fans Should Own The Club(Quote)
TOONSY@38 divent worry jabba will get that mil plus spare when simpson gans to QPR 😉
hes going i think,long time not signing that 5yr contract imo
icedog(Quote)
Anyone listened to this??
He says Maiga and Pieters deals are NOT dead ❓ ❓ ❓
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
toonsy says:
August 30, 2011 at 21:49
How come we never see certain people when there is good news about?
————————
Don’t worry, they’ll be on after Santon’s first game to slag him off
MDS(Quote)
hmm forgot the link obviously
http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/kickoff/blog/2011-08-30/courtney-expect-two-or-three-deals-both-newcastle-and-sunderland?
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
49 Paul in Hollywood
Somehow i suspect they will be busy counting their precious pennies and don’t care about NUFC or even the clubs they ssigned for. I firmly believe in both Bartons and Nolans case that money was at the heart of their failed negotiations with NUFC and as for Carroll he is an outright greedy barsteward. Enrique decided his future lay elswhere and left for a contract comparible to the toons so I accept he left for football reasons but the other two….West Ham ……QPR money money money
stevey c(Quote)
the scum linked with Samaras from celtic. hahaha. Would **** myself if they end up with him instead of Gyan.
AlanPardewProject(Quote)
mark says:
August 30, 2011 at 21:54
i reckon some folk on here are getting there back-sack and crack done in preparation for the big window countdown
Certainly having th crack done wor lass is melting the wax as we speak 😆
stevey c(Quote)
@stevey c
who’s crack? yours or your lasses 😆
mark(Quote)
Seriously, if Sunderland want Samaras, they can have him for nothing.
The guy is capable is insane moments of magic but then can’t be bothered for half a season. Sounds familiar, lol.
funkyjesus(Quote)
Mark
Not enuff wax for wor lasses m8 😉
stevey c(Quote)
Stevey C @ 59, I know what you mean, but counting money can get boring (I don’t speak from experience, only hearsay and my own fairly unmaterial philosophy); so more from an emotional point of view, I bet those 3 are feeling like jilted lovers and wishing they could get back to what they loved – playing for the Toon and the Toon Army!
Paul in Hollywood(Quote)
@stevey c
😆 😆
mark(Quote)
A decent signing it seems. Cheers for the contstant updates lads, heres to a more solid backline!
ToonTom(Quote)
Paul in Hollywood #65
Don’t know what they gave up but were a better team without them i think. Obviously they had influence in the dressing room but think they’ll miss us more than we will miss them m8.
stevey c(Quote)
Paul … total agree with you .. would say that there is a chance AC will be feeling seriously homesick ..
TOONPIPES(Quote)
So Elliott is our new no. 3 keeper?
I assume this means we aren’t expecting Forster to return from Celtic and Soderberg hasn’t made the grade?
Anyone read that we’ve told Kadar he needs to prove himself or he is out next year?
funkyjesus(Quote)
IMO a quality signing with huge potential that I think just needs a manager to put an arm round him to give him his self belief back.
What makes it even better is that owl heed isn’t in the pic 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
Would love to get Pueters in, like I said the yesterday(I think) Santon to cover rb and lb and Pieters to cover lb and cb…………never believe owt about deals being dead, it’s all, posturing, bluff and double bluff from now until the window shuts 😕
richietoon(Quote)
HA, anyone see Paolo Di Canio fight one of his own players on SSN?
funkyjesus(Quote)
Richietoon .. with you on that .. if there is any chance to have pieters on one side and santon on the other be wicked
TOONPIPES(Quote)
Stevey C – Agreed on both counts. Also, maybe their dressing room influence wasn’t all that ideal either. Perhaps a bit like “we’re in charge so do as we say” approach. I dunno?
Paul in Hollywood(Quote)