Sissoko will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with prospective new clubs in January as his current deal with Toulouse is set to expire at the end of the season.
Interest in the the French international will no doubt be high as the player is rated highly within the game. He’s been compared to some of best players to have played in his position in recent years, with some likening him to a Patrick Viera or Michael Essien type of player.
However any news of a move appeared to be short-lived as soon as Alan Pardew got wind of it and revealed to the press that the signing was “news to him”, which makes me wonder….
Quite a lot of transfer dealings are “news” to Alan Pardew, at least in public anyway. Perhaps the most notable comparison is the deal which saw Romain Amalfitano arrive at Newcastle last summer in a deal that was pretty much on the same terms of a pre-contract agreement. For months all parties denied the move until it was decided to release the details officially.
Whether that is the case here I honestly don’t know, but it would be a cracking signing if Newcastle were trying to pull another rabbit out of the hat. Toulouse once slapped a €30 million release clause on the head of Sissoko although admittedly that was over three years ago when the likes of Manchester City, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich expressed interest in the player.
Looking at it from an NUFC perspective though it would seem to be a deal that would tick all the boxes of our transfer policy. Sissoko is the right age, can still develop, is highly rated, and wouldn’t require a huge outlay up front in terms of transfer fee at least. Also I dare say that our scouting team has already watched the lad, whether directly or indirectly, so we’ll no doubt know all about him.
The only problem I can see, if any deal did materialise obviously, is that we would be strengthening an area of the pitch that is already strong. In central midfield we have a fair few options ranging from Yohan Cabaye and Cheik Tiote to James Perch, Gael Bigirimana and Vurnon Anita so I’d expect us to lose one of them, probably one of the first two, for a large fee and replace him with someone like Sissoko if, and it is a big IF, this deal was in the pipeline.
That’s the aim of our policy isn’t it?
Guys, this will definitely happen…Well, maybe not definitely, but I am 75% sure this will happen.
Of course we are going to deny tapping him up as we aren’t allowed to speak to him until Jan.
Hence that Douglas reporter on Twitter claiming that their is no agreement, but we ARE interested.
Just look at it. This is typical Mike Ashley business. Exploit another loophole, secure a highly rated, young player and then make a profit on him in the future.
This will also pave the way for Tiote to be sold in the Summer and the £15million or so we receive for him being reinvested into other areas of the squad.
The Kid(Quote)
There is a strong smell of bullshit around this rumour 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
don’t expect anyone will give Lee Ryder’s article any credence but here is what he says today:
http://tinyurl.com/8qpchlx
3hourswasted(Quote)
Aussie I agree mate and can’t see it happen the sameway I cant see anyone paying £15mil for Tiote
Big Dave(Quote)
Big Dave
If a club can pay 14million for Palacios I am certain they can pay 15million for Tiote.
The Kid(Quote)
The Kid….or we could be paying a small fee for him in Jan to avoid losing out to other clubs who’d like him on a free, therefore we could talk to him now with the permission of Toulouse of course and sign him in the next window 😉 …or it’s more tabloid **** 😕
richietoon(Quote)
I’ve got a feeling there might be some truth behind this story. I noticed that we first started taking an interest in this lad way back in 2008, and this is what a young 19 year old Sissoko said then:
“Newcastle? They are a big team, with big support. From what I have been told they have the best fans in England.”
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/4653762/Sissoko-dreams-of-England
Chris G(Quote)
I think with every transfer rumor you need to take it with a large pinch of salt , I read that Cisse is off to Spurs or Liverpool in Jan!
Johno Toon(Quote)
nee doubt hes a canny player,but how many m/f players do we want(unless some to go) wheres a c/h and striker we need imo 🙁
icedog(Quote)
Ice, don’t mention centre half’s mate, you will get Big Dave all fired up and he will bang on about my mate Dekka 🙂 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
“MOUSSA Sissoko’s set for talks with Newcastle United in the New Year – after being sold on the club by Yohan Cabaye.”
Plot thickens.
The Kid(Quote)
Kid, it’s more like the bullshit thickens mate 🙂 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Time to get the french lads on a plane to talk him in to signing 😉
I’d sell Tiote if we got him and some dollar to buy a few more players.
Newkie(Quote)
Morning Newkie 🙂
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aussie
🙂 Maybe, but I don’t know, just got a good feeling about this one.
The Kid(Quote)
He would be a good pick up mate, be nice if your feeling is right……
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
The kid – Cabaye sold the club to Debuchy as well mate…. hope he’s not on commission 😆
I seriously hope we land Sissoko either for a small fee in Jan or free in the summer. He’s a quality player and would definitely improve our 1st team nevermind our squad.
My main concern would be he may be looking for Champions League football.
I want to see us really have a good look at our squad as I said yesterday. Clear out players who don’t seem to have a future with us or who aren’t really challenging the first team.
This would allow more room in our squad for new signings, free transfers and young players coming through the ranks.
On Tiote – I agree with The Kid. I don’t think its unrealistic to expect a fee of around £15m for Tiote.
Sharpy17(Quote)
A good thing about this lad is that he isn’t completely defensive minded. Cabaye does not have much competition for his spot as the more attacking minded of our CMs. Gosling just does not have the quality, and afraid he never will, at least not here
AndrewT(Quote)
You were right signing for Newcastle Friday 25th Jan 2013
Geordie Jeff(Quote)
Now I feel studip. That’s cleared it up for me
Sagi(Quote)