How you do you rate our summer transfers?

toonsy

More to come from Mbemba?
More to come from Mbemba?
In terms of spending money, our outlay over the summer far surpassed what I personally expected to see invested into the first team.

In the region of £50 million was spent on incoming transfers with NUFC recouping very little by not cashing in on any of their supposed ‘big hitters’ within the squad. Whether it is enough was a different question.

So with 12 games, or just under a third of the season gone, I’m going to have a look at what our new signings have done for us and if they’ve made the impact that we’d hoped. For the purposes of clarity I’m not going to include Ivan Toney who has impressed at reserve and U21 level and will instead focus purely on the four main acquisitions – Aleksandar Mitrovic, Georginio Wijnaldum, Florian Thauvin and Chancel Mbemba.

Aleksandar Mitrovic has made a solid start to life at Newcastle and appears to have settled down somewhat from his baptism of fire. In terms of goalscoring it’s just two goals in ten Premier League appearances (eights starts – one of which he was sent off after 16 minutes – and two as a sub) and it’s also worth noting that hes sat out three games through suspension, which was his own fault in fairness.

But it’s his contribution to the team that is most promising. He has given us a focal point, someone to hold play up and bring others into play, a presence in the box and he unsettles defenders creating space and therefore opportunities for others. I think there is still more to come too from a player who at just 21 still has a lot to learn.

My rating: 7/10

Next up is Georginio Wijnaldum who will no doubt be courting some interest from some big clubs should he continue. He is our top goalscorer although a four goal haul against Norwich has bolstered that tally and he’s also laid on another two goals for his teammates.

This is not a bad return for just 12 Premier League appearances in a new league. He’s also hit the target with more attempts than anyone else in the team with 66% of his shots either resulting in a goal or forcing a save from the opposition goalkeeper.

My rating: 8/10

Chancel Mbemba has been an effective addition to the defence and I like him a lot. He very nearly gifted Bournemouth a goal on Saturday after slipping up but even the greats have done that on occasion. Just ask Steve Gerrard.

If you look at the stats from WhoScored.com (whom are really good to be fair) you’ll see that Mbemba pretty much walks all over Coloccini in terms of tackles, interceptions and clearances – which is basically what a defender needs to do. And at just 21 (allegedly) he’ll get better.

My rating: 7/10

Finally we move on to Florian Thauvin – or the scapegoat as he has become. Seemingly written off by a swathe of fans the 23-year-old has already drawn criticism from some quarters despite only playing 305 minutes of Premier League football from three starts and four sub appearances.

I’m not writing the lad off. It’s a big ask to come to the Premier League and perform immediately however I do see why people have issues with his game. I just don’t think we’re playing to his strengths at the moment, in the same way we didn’t for Remy Cabella or Hatem Ben Arfa. To play in front of Daryl Janmaat (aka AWOL) you have to have a notion of defending as it’s likely you’re going to need to cover while Janmaat is up field and I think that is part of his problem. Time will tell of course but there is definitely room for improvement.

My rating: 5/10

So those are my thoughts on the main chunk of our summer transfers. Do you agree or disagree? Have I missed something obvious, remembering this is just my take on things? Do you feel that you could put your money where your mouth is and use this Bet 365 code to have a flutter towards where you now think we may finish the season?

Feel free to discuss and debate below.

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.

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337 thoughts on “How you do you rate our summer transfers?”

  1. Eric Sykes-
    Tavernier would of been a PL player if we gave him the chance. Hes too good for League 1 or Scottish 2nd Division and I defo see him as a Janmaat or eventuelly as he is an attacking threat, I see him be effective as right winger. He has great right foot and hes quality on set pieces, pace, skills.
    I woulda keep Sammy and never sign Thauvin, he showed improvements and deserved to stay.
    Abeid and Guthrie are better than Anita. Bigi from what saw in his 1st season is also better.
    Vuckic would definitelitely bring something to the team. He has football brain

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  2. Eric- And instead of going for mercenaries at RB spot, Simpson was committed and made things easy as defense was his focus.

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  4. Sorry Cholo: but the players that you are promoting are all average or worse. That we also have Anita doesn’t make the players you tout any less average. I would get rid of Anita too.

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  5. I think Sammy has scored like 3 goals in all his time at NUFC, and probably 3 assists. Statistics can be manipulated but I think in Sammy’s case they tell the story. He is a lanky streak of **** who is not even doing it for Cardiff never mind us. Both Ameobi’s were never good enough.

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  6. Cholo: are you related to Tavernier? If not, I am not quite getting the massive crush you have on him.

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  7. I think Carr has had one of the hardest jobs in football to be honest. He’s had pretty much the impossible job; find quality, at a low price, under the radar and under the age of 26.

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  8. Cholo – I have to agree with Eric mate. The likes of Colman at Everton was signed from the Irish leagues, Vardy and Austin from non league team. If players are good enough they get spotted & rise to the top. No other teams were scrabbling to sign Tav when he went to Rangers. Vukic might have a footballing brain, but he’s missing the body to go with it. Sammy isn’t pulling up trees at Cardiff, Abied went to Greece and I forgot we even had Bigi 😕
    They may well look decent players at a lower level mate, but if they were PL quality, then other teams would have snapped them up by now mate.

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  9. John Carver has been linked with the Fulham job – which got me thinking … will John Carver ever work in football again after what happened with us?.

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  10. Sharpy17- All those guys were not given the chance to keep getting better, okay injuries plays a part but patience is required especially for those who we developp. I cant accept to play the waiting game for a big money signing like for ex Thauvin Cabella de Jong or Anita and then write off our youngsters after 1 bad game. Thats why we cant developp youngs players. And in the actual team Id have Tavernier, Abeid, Sammy and Vuckic at least on my bench.

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  11. Based on skill set, Abeid brings phisicality, Tavernier brings skills drive and set pieces, Bigi is probably the closer player to Cabaye based on skill set, we should of keep Remie Streete with Lascelles as options to play with Mbemba, and Willo Saylor as backups and let Coloccini go. Streete based on skill set(pace, athletiscism) is also the type of CB need. Vuckic based on skill set brings something that could be unique(height, skills, good left foot) and he could be effective as AM, Cm in a 3 man mdf or in a front 3. Not only we dont play them, but players like Gouffran Anita Obertan Riviere, Yanga Mbiwa were signed ahead. That still makes NO SENSE to me.

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  12. Cholo: you ARE related to Tavernier. Everybody else in the world of NUFC has forgotten he even exists.

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  13. That we play **** players like Obertan does not make Tavernier any less ****. And we haven’t had a player come through the academy since Dummett and I think Taylor before that. We have had many “next big things” like Campbell and Vuckic but none deliver.

    There is something seriously wrong with our player development. Hopefully Armstrong, Mbabu and Aarons will be a success for us but if you base it on past achievement like Ferguson, Vuckic, Ameobi, Tavernier, Bigi, Alnwick, I am not going to hold my breath.

    Much like Sammy and Seim cannot hold their breath it seems.

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  15. Far from it. Im from Senegal lol. But I support this club since kid and I basically follow players this club devellop. I watched Vuckic Tavernier Abeid, Newton, Dummett on loan. Can tell you they were not given a fair chance. Tavernier is a flying full back scoring for fun in lower leagues. In my opinion at PL level hed make a good Right Midfielder/Winger. He has the pace to get past his oppoonent, has quality crossing abilities wich is an outlet for Mitro the Target Man. If we sell Sissoko, Id have no fears to go for him to start in the 442 as right midfielder.

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  16. How are you going to expect Vuckic and Campbell without being given the opportunity?? All those guys needed a run of games 1st.

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  17. ERIC@80 at last someone else how much of a waste of space they are their getting payed on false pretences,wouldn’t get a game for a Sunday lge team imo

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  18. Cholo – maybe time and patience, but the fact is that no other club have snapped them up mate. It’s not just us that haven’t rated them, and even at lower levels these players aren’t getting game time. To be fair I think the club have failed them in their development. I don’t think we have focused on decent loan moves for them to ensure they were at the right level at certain stages of their development. But there again we put Bigi on the loan market and nobody wanted him, so what do you do there?!. Christ Ashley had to nearly buy another club to ensure these players got some game time 😆

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  19. Seriously though Cholo, if Tav was that good & has that much potential, why was it he ends up at Rangers?.

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  20. The reason we can usually discount UK players is because they cost too much, are too much of a risk and don’t offer value for money which of course we are obsessed with.

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  21. Here is Tavernier’s record, edited by me but from Wikipedia:

    Gateshead (Loan) January 2011.
    Carlisle United (Loan) August 2011
    On 21 November 2011, Tavernier joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan
    Milton Keynes Dons (Loan) January 2012,
    Shrewsbury Town (Loan) July 2013
    Rotherham United (Loan) November 2013
    Wigan Athletic: Tavernier signed for Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee on 28 June 2014.
    Bristol City (loan) :Tavernier signed for Bristol City on loan on 15 January 2015.
    Rangers: On 20 July 2015 Tavernier signed a three year contract with Scottish Championship club Rangers for £200,000.

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  22. Cholo’s team for the Leicester match:

    Alnwick

    Tavernier Newton Dummett Ferguson

    Abeid Bigi Vuckic

    Campbell Chopra Sammy

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  23. Sham – yeah well there we go, I agree with the averageness I’m not claiming he’s a terrible scout, he is the head of our scouting network rather than our one and only anyway, so even apportioning blame/praise in that area is difficult. I was just saying I didn’t understand that demi-god status the he enjoy(ed) when we bought some good players, and other bang average players who just happened to enjoy a purple patch. I said when we bought Goof I didn’t expect big things given history/price tag, he had a brilliant 6/7 months and when he dropped people blamed the coaching staff. In reality, he was an average player in good form working hard for the side, and it burned him out.

    Generally agree with you about Ash, but I do think Charnley has to take the majority of the blame over recent years. Ash has much better things to do than penny pinch and watch our drivel, but Charnley is his man on the ground and we’ve gone nowhere since the hated llambias left.

    Sharpy @ 84 – if anyone gives that bloke an actual managerial position then they deserve the drop. His record with others was bad enough, what he with us was a disgrace.

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  25. I did like the look of Tav but he’s not good enough for us. I still remember when someone on here said he was better than Simmo though, five years ago or so 😆

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  26. Cholo: I am just having a bit of a laugh mate. That was a good goal in the Scottish second division. Check out my post @96 to see who Tavernier has played for.

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  27. Eric-
    ————————-Forster———————–
    -Tavernier-Streete-Lascelles-Dummett-
    ————————-Abeid—————————
    ————–Vuckic——Bigirimana————-
    —Armstrong——-Carroll———Aarons-
    No contest, wewin 3-0, Armstrong (2) and Streete seals the deal. Carroll bosses the game upfront

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  29. Eric sykes….. rangers are the most successful club in the world, tavernier will be playing in champions LG next year I suggest you look at his goals YouTube……nrated at million by Mark Waberton. Facts Mr negative

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  30. Eric- Clubs he played for are not an issue. Trust me, if they gave him something like 25-30 games or lets say one season, at this time hed be a PL players

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  31. Cholo: is that the all injured 11 @102? Forster, Carroll, Dummett, Vuckic and Aarons have played about 10 games between them in the pat year 🙂

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  32. Tavernier was on all those loan spells to develop his game, he will be banging them against us in a season or so……..just you watch Eric negative sykes people like you know nothing about a players development you fool

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  35. Look on YouTube sykes…..;-) and banging them infrastructure of 50,000 at ibrox, that tells a different story to the driver you spout

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  37. Newkie – re Carver, I don’t just mean a managerial role mate. I reckon he could well have fooked his football career altogether – even as a coach. I mean who would hire him?.
    I feel sorry for him a little bit to be fair. I think his love for the club was exploited by Charnley to allow them to make a quick buck on Pardew and fill in til they could get their man in the summer. As a result, I really can’t see Carver getting back in.

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  39. Do you think Newcastle are bigger than the most successful club in the world Eric? Newcastle have fought relegation last season and this season and in championship avfrw ago. Facts are facts. Newcastle have the intototo cup! Lol……..point being Newcastle is only a big club to us Newcastle fans
    Take a long look outside your goldfish bowl eric

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  40. I know it is you TAE because you misspell everything. If you say dint, I will be certain it is you 🙂

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  41. And take a look at Glasgow rangers trophys…… We will never have that success.. And they will be in Europe in a season or so….. Don’t throw stones friend

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  44. Let me know when you have looked at tavs goals on YouTube and tell me he hasn’t advanced?……. I’m sure you will find he is a gem we could of kept….as for Sammy never followed him yet but seems to be doing very well:-)

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  45. Tav wasn’t ditched, he had a year and a half left on contract, left to improve his game….. As we can see it seems to be working 🙂

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  47. Georgio: have a look at his record that I posted @96. He was shuffled from mediocre team to mediocre team and worse. If he was that good then why is he at Rangers? Surely Barcelona or Bayern would have snatched him up by now 🙂

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  48. 1 more thing knowall sykes how much will tav leave rangers for?… In Jan or next season? Do some home work friend…..5 mill?……come gobshite?

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  49. And how old is 23? He is sill developing you daffy, I’m off thicko blooming sykes :-).. Hate talking to single minded sky sports fans.and I bet you play fairytale fantasy footy too:-)… Deluded I’m dure

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  50. Fave: I am not a “knowall”. Most of the time I am only joking. There are only three things that I know for certain:

    Pardew is a bit of a tw@t.
    Carver is ****.
    Troysta is smarter than he looks.

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  52. Fave: @120 Tavernier was sold to Rangers for 200k. I hope he has a great career and they don’t loan him to Rotherham or Wigan.

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  53. I could be wrong though. Saint Peter of Beardsley played for The Vancouver Whitecaps and Carlisle before NUFC, Liverpool and England.

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  54. Hello. I am back to continue my award winning work from yesterday. Well, not award winning, but I did receive an unprecedented 8/10 from Munich Mag! 😯 Today I want to talk aboot our plans for one Jamie Vardy. All right so he is player of the month and leads the Prem in goals. But we will control him! We will cut off his access to goal! We have the pace to outrun him! He will finish the match in tears! After my interview with him yesterday I know we’ve gotten into his heed mates. We fear him not. Harrumph.

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  55. Sharpy – Insofar as coaching goes I’m sure he can get another job.I have doubts about his ability, as I’m sure most toon fans do now, but surely you can’t work that long in footie with so many managers and pro’s without picking up the basics. Some lower teams will take a chance, just for a coaching role like. Managers have done far worse and still kept/got new jobs. Raciscm and physical attacks included, so I’m sure Johnny will get something. I do pity him in some ways like you say, as obviously he loves the club. But so do all of us, and if we were in a position where we were miserable failures then I’d like to think we’d have the decency to step aside for the good of the club. Carver didn’t, he clung for all he was worth, even more than Pardew, and that fault lies with himself.

    Charnley is a b@***** too though :mrgreen:

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  56. I would also like to take this time to make a most sincere apology to Kimtoon. At the time I was disturbed by our lack of points and lowly position in the standings. Now I’m not disturbed at all. I see us climbing to success. I see victories and dominant performances coming our way in the near future! This is going to be terrific! We will crush all who play us! The nonbelievers like myself will be convinced! Now sit back mates and enjoy our recent victory. Beautiful. 😀

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  57. Another treat for you undeserving lot. Here is your Senior Official Club Journo interview with the one and only Hatem!
    G2: Hatem a lot of people are saying you are a brilliant footballer but lazy and selfish as well. How do you respond to that?
    Hatem: Zoot alors! Mais non! Je joue au football brillante! Ces Geordie sont fous! Merde!
    G2: Ah, ahem, I see Hatem. Would you like to add anything else?
    Hatem: Je ne retournerai jamais à Newcastle à nouveau !

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  60. Eric. Sir Peter also played for Man U before going to Vancouver. Ron Atkinson Ithink it was failed to realise what a gem he had. Probably thought he was too lightweight. Where have heard that before?

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  63. Kimtoon @134: I have never heard of most of those “celebrities”. I hope Dyer wins. Please let Tony Hadley wear the pirate/puffy shirt on one episode.

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  68. Gini’s 25 today. Happy birthday, Gini. You’re getting on a bit now so you will be sold shortly.

    Lascelles 22 today too so happy birthday to you too. You have another couple of years unless you progress very fast.

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  71. Hell of lot of talk on Perez going to Spurs/M/utd in Jan I don’t think it will happen in Jan but imo jabba will sell him in the summer for sure to much of a profit for jabba to turn down he can use the money to buy in the summer without spending to much of his money,the storey flying about is club will have to sell if they want to make any signings in Jan,same old jabba Ime afraid

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  72. Ice – there’s always negative stuff flying around about the club. Too much of it is true unfortunately 🙄

    On that debate about Tav and younger players – of the 16 – 18 year olds at PL clubs, 96% of them don’t make it and drift down the leagues. 96%!!
    Of the other 4% only 2% of those get into the first team. That’s so low as to be hardly believable.
    PL clubs just won’t take the risk as we’ve seen at SJP. The lower leagues are stuffed with old pros who’ve dropped down to finish their careers.
    Kids with stars in their eyes . . .

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  73. According to the Mirror, Spurs will pay £12m for Perez. What a joke! He will become a £30m player. We need to keep him, help him become that player and if we get an offer more than that, then look at it. But not before. In fact, depending on what position we are in at that time, we might not even entertain selling him.

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  74. STUART it would help if we got the deadwood off the wage bill it might help to keep our better players problem being nobody wants our ****

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  75. ICE – how about taking £12m plus Townsend and Tom Carroll from Spurs, as long as they agree to take Gouffran, Obertan and Marveaux as well?

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