There is actually no deal in place as yet for the 24-year-old and it isn’t even known if our interest in the player is real or just a figment of imagination made up by the press.
However reports of medicals and anything are completely false according to his representative, Ali Barat. He revealed that no medical is planned due to a niggling calf injury and insisted that the Lyon and Newcastle hadn’t even agreed a fee for the former Porto defender.
“The two clubs are not in agreement,” Barat told L’Equipe. “Aly is suffering from a little calf injury and therefore no medical examination is planned at the moment.”
Lyon are believed to want to recoup the vast majority of the €15m that they paid AC Milan for him back in 2009 and will accept €12m. However it is being reported that Newcastle aren’t willing to go any higher than €9m for a player who once famously saw his move to AC Milan break down due to a problem with his teeth picked up in the medical which could indicate spinal problems in the future.
Personally I’m not 100% sure on the lad as I don’t know too much about him. He was very highly rated in his Porto days but he has dropped off the radar in recent years and opinion on him seems split from those that have seen him play. The general consensus is that his defensive side is lacking although that is countered by his athleticism.
On the other hand, if we are indeed interested in Cissokho, then you have to look at the record of our scouts who haven’t done a bad job when it comes to player recruitment. Most of the players brought in over the last two seasons have turned out to be good’uns so I guess their judgement has to be backed.
However, at the moment there is no deal in place.
Cissokho is quite similar to a player like Gael Clichy. I would be delighted if we added him to our squad! He is very athletic, quick on his feet, and like Santon will burst up and down the line for an entire 90 minutes ..
I would suspect though, that if we are really going for him, that means the end of any contract talks with Danny Simpson. Given Simpsons performances of late, I’d be sad to lose him. On the other hand, if he just doesn’t want to sign on, and if seeling him ment that we could acquire a quality LB like Cissokho and move Santon to RB, I would be well behind that decision ..
In a dream world, we would sign both Cissokho and a CB – preferably another frenchman, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa!
funkness(Quote)
“He was very highly rated in his Porto days but he has dropped off the radar in recent years and opinion on him seems split from those that have seen him play. The general consensus is that his defensive side is lacking although that is countered by his athleticism.”
Replace Porto with Inter and that could be a description of Santon prior to us signing him, We lack a lefty option (seeing as wee fergies disapeared this season and juan sheets fecked off to liverpool) The club havent got much wrong recently and if Fat micks apparantly offering £7-8m for him they must fancy him…
CC(Quote)
Too much money dont think we in for him.
Dont rate him and why do lyon want rid so much?? 😕
BTW wonder how Joseph barton is enjoying his champions league club in the relegation zone? 😆 😆 😆
Liam Southern Toon(Quote)
Cissokho seems to be in the DEscendency, and asking £7 mill or whatever is double what they should what happened to the Dutchman Eric Peters ?
Phil K(Quote)
No way that we are going to sign Cissokho. Our journalists don’t have a club, and IMO are continuously fed bull and manipulated by Ashley and co.
to lead them off the path.
The only signing in the past two years they’ve kind of been aware of was Ben Arfa. And even that came from overseas sources.
People say Mark Douglas is reliable. But only because he doesn’t really commit to anything until its basically a done deal. He too is clueless as far as transfers go.
History tells us, we won’t spend more than 6 million on anyone but a striker and even then, probably not much over 7 million.
Also, any player demanding excessive wages over 50k won’t be accepted either.
In summary, no body has a clue who we are interested in. I don’t believe we’ll see more than on player coming in… Unless someone is sold.
JJ(Quote)
Do we need him?
Everyone bangs on about switching santon to right and ditching simpson.
I actually like simpson, apart from a couple of mistakes (granted one big one ended up in a goal) he’s a decent RB and better than anything I’ve seen in a black and white shirt.
CB’s are what we need. 😉
nobby(Quote)
Newcastle supporter requests some help from you’ll.
I am travelling from Denmark to London for The Arsenal match. Can anyone recommend a cheap way for me going to Newcastle???
Danishtoon(Quote)
plus simpsons free kick mistake was really a taught one from training ground tactics.
nobby(Quote)
this window will now show how much ambition ashley has for the club.
we are sitting joint 5th in the table,all we need is a little investment and where on a jollys to europe…
hitman(Quote)
coach is the cheapest way danish toon. about £40-50
If you book up early enough you can get a train ticket ranging from £70-100 all dependent on when you book up.
nobby(Quote)
Simpson does nothing with the ball it’s like a hot potato to him. We will not progress as a team with players like him. We need another fullback who can pass the ball. Clyne maybe. Neil Taylor.
EP(Quote)
Danish…Aye coach will be cheapest, sometimes you can get flights cheaper than the train so may be worth checking, I’d probably just hire a car 😉
richietoon(Quote)
Talking of ‘stubby’ Barton, I saw him just inside the Platinum Club entrance chatting to Harps yesterday. I was tempted to knock on the window, then ignore Barton and just acknowledge Harps. But that would be childish. Ok, the real reason I didn’t was the huge security guard. 😳
Not sure a LB is that high a priority. Fergie was on the bench yesterday, so we know we’ve got options in Simpson, Santon, Raylor and Fergie. CB is more urgent IMO.
Still, as others have said: the club’s proven how good they are at these decisions, so…
Whumpie(Quote)
Sorry EP… I like to assess defenders on their defensive capabilities. He rarely puts a foot wrong defensively. He can go forward and overlap with the winger. I seen him do it a few times yesterday. His Confidence on the ball is coming.
Problems can’t be solved by just throwing money at them. Apart from debt 😆
nobby(Quote)
Danish, if you really short on cash, you can ask someone for a piggy back. Might be worth a shot. 😉
JJ(Quote)
Danishtoon – definitely check out flights; you may get lucky. My flights from Bristol to Toon at the weekend came to £50 all in.
Whumpie(Quote)
brissle?
Olroightt moy luvverrrr? 😆
nobby(Quote)
I remember being in ‘Bar M’ in Bristol a few years back witht he lads. A girl got her fanny out and we all touched it. Mint! 😯 😆 😆
nobby(Quote)
If you book now, your train is @ 50 pounds. Less than 3 hours to Newcastle. Don’t know about return cost.
I think there is a transfer/acquisition fund but it is for this window & next summer. So the decisions are being made on howq dear a purchase is now compared to next summer. Plus, once the pot is empty, MA is not re-filling it. So I would venture only a bargain or absolute cheap stop-gap will arrive in January. But it would ahve to be someone who will be around for a while, or quietly dissapear end of season. I don’t think MA wants those Alan Smith, Nicky Butts pay packets slowing the clubs financial and on pitch development.
BeeGuy(Quote)
I meant ‘Bar Me’
nobby(Quote)
I think it would be daft not to keep going with Simmo if he’s up for signing. He dropped a couple more clangers yesterday, but also helped keep a clean sheet, made some great tackles and contributed very well going forward. Like most of the team, he had shaky moments but more than made up for them. He’s got really good rapport with the other players too; he’s the first in to congratulate others – especially Timmeh – when they repel borders.
Some ‘grass is always greener’ thinking going on, I think.
Whumpie(Quote)
Nobby, you mean everyone touched in, bar you? You touched the other lads…
JJ(Quote)
JJ – my secret is out! 😆
nobby(Quote)
there’s no way we’re paying 9-12m euros for this dude on the basis of strong play in the Portuguese League and a couple of good champions league performances 3 seasons ago. Only if he’s available at a discount, and Lyon (like Spurs) don’t do discounts
M(Quote)
M – Talking sense.
nobby(Quote)
Nobby – you must have a talent for finding the quality hotspots.
I was out in the Toon on Saturday with my mate, and the place still lives up to its reputation. I used my phone to track where we’d been, knowing I wouldn’t remember half of it. Quite a list on there in the morning! Quilted Camel and Long Bar were entertaining ******-fests.
Cheese awards to Flares and Pop World (had to – my mate demanded it on the ‘tourist’ excuse), Award for “nicest ceiling while smelling of vomit” went to Revolution, The Lodge was, um… The Lodge, and the “why are you still open???” gong was shared between Vaults and Beehive. Wow. New levels of shiteness there. Great craic and friendly vibe all night, though.
Whumpie(Quote)
Here’s a good article for Stu, hitman and the rest of the “realists”… http://fbasocialmediaforbusiness.com/how-to-think-positively/ 😉
Toon Chicken(Quote)
If Simpson is the best full back you have seen in a black and white shirt Nobby, you cant have been a supporter very long mate, he is amongst the worst i have seen, he doesnt mark man or space , only thing he is good at is hoofing the ball into touch when he is trying to pass.
Robert(Quote)
You might want a read of that article too Robert 😆
Carr and Babayaro are two names that immediately spring to mind. Next to those two Simmo is friggin Paulo Maldini.
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Back on transfers: I don’t agree with the assertion that the club won’t spend above any particular figure. They just insist on good value, which is frustrating at times but makes sense overall – and it’s certainly worked up to now.
Also, if you take their spending as part of the whole strategy, the pattern is encouraging. When we were in the CCC with a target of promotion, they spent in the hundreds of thousands and low millions. And it worked. First year back up, targets of staying there, and the spend went up to 3M plus. And it’s worked. Now the target is top half, and I see no reason why they’d do anything different, which means shopping for players of a quality (and usually price) commensurate with that, i.e. £7m and up.
I know we’d love to see them change their plans and go all-out for a European spot, but that would be risky and against the ethos of the club. Low-risk, sustainable progress may not be as exciting, but it’s the way you get up there and stay up there. We don’t want to be Villa.
Whumpie(Quote)
Whumpie, couldnt argue with that but Davy Craig, Irving Nattrass, Aaron Hughes, Stevey Watson, Warren Barton to name a few were all on a different planet to Simpson
Robert(Quote)
Toon Chicken i meant, sorry Whumpie
Robert(Quote)
Simpson – very good and much-improved defender but awful in possession. ***** his pants when the ball comes his way. Could say something similar about Williamson actually…..
M(Quote)
Habib Beye was much better than Simmo too 😉
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
Danish – Use Megabus. Book early and get from London to Newcastle for £1.50 😉
toonsy(Quote)
Ok Robert… i’ll change that too…. ‘best in a long time’
Howay… we’ve never had a glittering back line have we? We’ve had defenders that add going forward but lack that stable ‘trustworthy’ defensive bite.
nobby(Quote)
Doesn’t it take about 3 days to get there Toonsy? 😉
Toon Chicken(Quote)
eeeeeee… that’s canny that toonsy.
It’s £2.10 to the toon on the number 22 from mine. robbing bast*rds!
nobby(Quote)
About 8 hrs from London. Via Sheffield and Leeds so its more direct than most 😉
toonsy(Quote)
Nobby – just trying to drum up some trade for my company 😉
toonsy(Quote)
By the way – Did anyone at the game yesterday notice, just before half time, with the referees back to him – Anton pushed Shola in the face to the ground. Only a couple of us saw it as the football action was being played at the other end of the park ❓ ❓ ❓ ❓
Was it on telly?
What a ****.
nobby(Quote)
Hang on a minute: this player-bashing is daft. Williamson has been brilliant. Simmo has been part of a famously frugal defence and has been part of a load of our attacking moves.
Hang on, I see a pattern forming… oh, yes. They’re English so they must be a bit ***** – is that it? I’m guessing, of course – but to slag off Simmo this much and then liken him to another player who’s done really well strikes me as a bit, um…. dim.
Whumpie(Quote)
Hoo! Talking of expensive things!!!
Saturday night I met the lads in ‘The Living Room’ (not my actual living room… i mean on Grey Street – before yous get cocky! 😆 ). F*cking £4 a pint!!! Jesus!
nobby(Quote)
Nobby – I missed that. Ferdinand can be a right ***. And the whole team had clearly been sent out to kick seven bells out of us. It was a bit like Wolves last season. Justice done; 3 points.
Any more word on Cabaye’s ankle?
Whumpie(Quote)
Nobby – That’s why I dont go out to town. Bloody rip off. Get a pack of 12 from the supermarket for £9 and share it with your mates with a BBQ and footy on the telly. Much better value and experience!
I dont understand how people afford to go out on the tiles every weekend, must cost them an arm and a leg! Cant think of anything worse.
Mind you i’m married with kids, so going out on the tiles does not exactly tie in with me lifestyle anymore! Must be getting old haha 😆
Shamrock(Quote)
http://www.demba-ba.eu/newsreader-en/items/newcastle-and-senegal-win.html dembas site ran by his brother
batty(Quote)
Whumpie – think ur not reading carefully enough mate. Those two have been quality in defence. Both of em improved compared to last year. However, it’s not inaccurate to say that they aren’t so good in possession
This is not ‘player-bashing’
M(Quote)
Nobby,
Costs me £1.20 a pint 😆
Just out of interest, what would a 500g Fillet Steak and 12 Queen size prawns cost at a decent restaurant over there?
JJ(Quote)
Papiss Demba Cisse scored, now theres a nice strike partner for Demba 😀
Na, if I had to pick my ideal partner for Demba, I’d have gone with the Bellemy, workhorse pacey type…
JJ(Quote)
Whumpie, Simpson has gone right off the boil,( if he ever was on in the first place), maybe its his contract negotiations but he is not improving and his head seems to be elsewhere, right back is our Achilles heel and we could do a lot better in that position.
He is one in a line of players who survive by being ex Man U and for me he adds nothing to the team, he had potential when he first signed but he has stood still.
If you want to give him false praise whilst opposition players are tearing him a new arsehole every game, crack on, no doubt you are one of the Super Shola brigade as well.
Robert(Quote)
JJ…it’s England, there’s nae decent restaurants 😉
richietoon(Quote)
Right, just sent Demba a request to do an interview for this site and said I have no issue with certain topics being off limits.
Probably get turned down, but worth a shot…
Shamrock(Quote)
Robert,
I really don’t think Simpson is bad at all defensively. But he is poor in possession. And a bit inconsistant when making his overlapping runs.
He is far from on of the worst right backs we’ve had.
Ameobi on the other hand is consistantly fecking terrible.
I’m not saying we can’t do better than Simpson, but I do think a centre back and support striker are much higher priorities.
I don’t think Simpson will be here next year…
JJ(Quote)
Batty…you on commission?
richietoon(Quote)
Richie, tell me about it…
I always thought England was reknowned for fish and chips and their pies. But never had a good one over there ever.
We’re a bit spoilt over here paying very little for some of the best food in the world. Housing is also relatively inexpensive.
We do get ripped a new one, when it comes to petrol, cars, bank fees, and mobile phone/internet charges though 🙁
JJ(Quote)
Here’s a thought: if we keep up the rate of points per game on the last 17 games that we’ve had so far, we’ll end up on 65. Last season that was good enough for 5th.
Blimey. 😯
Whumpie(Quote)
Shamrock…Shy bairns get nowt 😉 ……mind in my house, gobby one’s got **** all too 😥
richietoon(Quote)
JJ – Ameobis problem is that he cant stay fit enough for this level, he puts the effort in but he is way off the pace and this affects his touch, i was amazed he brought Best off yesterday and left him on, painful to watch but in keeping with the game i suppose.
Robert(Quote)
JJ….aye but what’s the wages like over there?
Here baffles me like, lower salaries than UK but the cost of living is whey more expensive 😕
richietoon(Quote)
JJ- I dont want to argue about Ameobi again, but would agree that it’s no good starting him. He’s effective as a late substitute for 20 mins or so and has done really well this season when used like that.
He’s not that bad, but needs to be used correctly to get the most out of him, otherwise I agree that he is ineffective if relied on too much (the full 90 for instance).
Trouble is, until we get a new striker we will have to rely on him more than we ought to. Loverman is not any better and is off soon. No good constantly bashing Shola, he is what he is. Maybe the board ought to get their arses into gear to get a new striker through the door, but that’s not Shola’s fault.
Furthermore, Demba will be back soon and Shola will be on the bench probably coming on for the last 15-20 minutes and causing havoc.
Shamrock(Quote)
Robert…I think Best had been hobbling a bit a few minutes prior to being brought off so probably a precaution bearing in mind he’s our most likely goal getter while Ba is away.
richietoon(Quote)
richard ide just think it would be nice if we left some comments 🙂
batty(Quote)
Richie – I have tried reserves, persistant and just nice – Still got fook all at home 😆
Shamrock(Quote)
Batty…done, I told him and drill his knee caps if he ever signs for anyone else 👿 ……that is what you meant, right? 😉 😆
richietoon(Quote)
M: Praps you’re right, although I’d argue that describing a defender as “shitting himself in posession” is probably into bashing territory a smidge! 😆
Robert, meanwhile, is well into that territory and still going. I was sat right by Simpson’s position yesterday and while he was as sketchy as anyone else in the first 15 minutes he was generally very good defensively and set up some good counter-attacks.
It’s all subjective, of course – and Santon did show him up by being really superb – but I just think the criticism is over the top.
As for Shola… well, he was Shola. Sublime skill interspersed with regular comedy moments. He was a big part of that goal, though and did his bit. Still a bit pie-friendly though. 😈
Whumpie(Quote)
Richie, depends where you live and what you do like everywhere else.
Wages are high in Johannesburg and things arn’t too expensive, but if you go to Cape Town, wages are average and things are very expensive.
Its why, despite being full of crime, most people stay in Joburg, in mansions behind 10 foot walls.
Cape Town is pretty much a European city. 😉
JJ(Quote)
“JJ- I dont want to argue about Ameobi again, but would agree that it’s no good starting him. He’s effective as a late substitute for 20 mins or so and has done really well this season when used like that.”
Shamrock, I agree that he can be a handful against sides in the last 20 minutes. But it depends on which sides. If they have a problem with physicality (eg: Man U or Arsenal). Then yes… He isn’t the worst to bring on off the bench.
However, against most teams, I like the impact subs to have pace.
I remember, under Sir Bobby, we seldom looked to defend a lead, and he would put on pacey substitutes on the final 15minutes to counter attack and finish off the opponents who had tired legs.
Robert, Dyer, Bellemy, Lua Lua. They used to rip sides apart on the counter attack.
JJ(Quote)
We have Obertan and Benny that can do that. Whoever the new striker is will probably have a bit of pace too. I’m sure it will all come together. We are only missing a couple of bits and in the meantime are sitting joint 5th, so the players we have are obviously doing well enough…
We just need to be patient. I’d understand the constant bashing if we were losing and sliding down the table, but we are not..
Anyway, no more talk about Shola from me. 🙂
Shamrock(Quote)
God I’ve got some catching up to do.
Right, firstly on the Shola arguement, who amongst us rates Heskey? I certainly don’t and don’t get how he’s still playing in the EPL. Take Shola out of a Black & White shirt and I bet we would all say the same of Shola. This whole, he can be an impact striker – rubbish, strikers impact a game by scoring goals – Shola doesnt!!
Next point – Nobby, you are right, Simpson is a very young player and far from one of our worst full backs. To read that this French lad struggles defensively but is a good athlete??
He’s a defender!! as a defender, if your positional play is good that’s the most important part. Really the same could be argued of Simpson (who few seem to rate) but we didnt spend 7-10m on him.
Third n final point – I’d stick with going for Pieters, he’s a proper defender, a very good young left back. He’s also a big friend of Krul so would fit straight into defence. It would also be a smart move if they wish to hold on to Krul. If he’s playing, paid well settled and is happy with life he’ll be more reluctant to leave. Pieters is a good player first and foremost though and would fit our team well
Sharpy17(Quote)
I don’t know if he’s a “big friend” of Krul, other than a handful of under 21 and maybe youth games they’ve probably not encountered each other that much but even so as krul’s been here almost 8 years I’d think he has much closer friends here already….that said, I’d love Pieters here 😀
richietoon(Quote)
Sharpy – Spurs this season?
Shamrock(Quote)
Richie
You on the wrong thread mate… 😎
JJ(Quote)
rich @64 you know me well 😆 😆
batty(Quote)
simpson mistake against liverpool was a result of him playing too much fifa
i’d like to see a 7mil striker come in and a cheap cb as a bare minimum this window
Stevieboi toon(Quote)
Shamrock – to win the league or to take Krul,
I assume you mean the latter and I think no this season but who knows in the summer. We don’t have the cover for him at the moment and I think a big offer for Krul would be turned down just now. The Carroll deal was a bit different, £35m was nuts and I think the board thought there were others in the squad to pick up goals and in reality 3-2 against WBA and things would have looked abit healthier.
With Krul, he can save us alot of points between now and the end of the season. Regardless or whether you think MA has ambition or not, he’s a businessman and the higher we finish the more coin he gets. Stories suggest that MA did not speak with Pardew for weeks after last season because he was sooo pissed off at the dropped positions thanks to that draw, so make no mistake, he cares where we finish.
We may be offered about £12-15m for Krul which MA will not see as too good an amount of money to pass up.
I do think Tiote to Chelsea though.
Hope I’m right re Krul and wrong re Tiote.
Sharpy17(Quote)