Newcastle today confirmed the signing of Florian Lejeune, which will hopefully signal some traction in the market and more signings to follow.
Such a long drawn out process for a £8.7m deal raises the question as to what Rafa’s budget is for this window and whether he will have to raise more capital from current players. Which first team players could be sold to boost our transfer kitty?
Aleksandar Mitrovic – £8-10m
A fan favourite due to his attitude and commitment, Mitrovic hasn’t quite shown the goal scoring prowess we hoped for when we coughed up £13m for his services in the summer of 2015. Still young, he has plenty of time to improve and as his recent performances for Serbia have shown, he has ability. However, his NUFC future looks ominous.
Overlooked for most of the season in favour of Dwight Gayle, it is hard to imagine him lining up in the Premier league as our first choice striker next season. Gayle’s goals effectively won us promotion and with Rafa wanting additional and quicker strikers for his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, something has to give.
A loan deal has been mooted but you get the feeling he isn’t in Rafa’s plans and United will want to re-coup as big a fee as they can.
Chancel Mbemba – £8-10m
Mbemba is in a similar position to Mitrovic – another player with potential, with the pair having arrived from Anderlecht for a sizeable fee two years ago.
Again like Mitrovic though, last season wasn’t a good one for Mbemba as he was firmly a backup choice behind Clark and Lascelles. With Lejeune confirmed and Hanley likely to leave, it will be interesting to see if he can play his way back into the team or remains a squad player this term.
In the current market he could realistically bring NUFC a good fee, or at least close to the £8m we paid for him. With Rafa wanting numerous signings, he could be one to be shipped out.
Mo Diame – £3-5m
Mo Diame was brought in effectively and Sissoko’s replacement and came with pedigree in both the Championship and the Premier League. After hitting double figures in Hull’s promotion campaign, Diame was a good signing and at a low fee due to his release clause.
Now 30, and following an inconsistent season in black and white, he faces a battle to retain his place in the side. Number 10 is a key position in Rafa’s system and somewhere that will be strengthened this summer, after Diame failed to make the role his own.
We, of course, need strength and depth next year and Diame is one who has proven himself previously at a high level. However, he is one who may just be sacrificed to raise revenue and you imagine there would be plenty of takers, especially ambitious Championship sides.
Karl Darlow- £5-7m
Last year was Darlow’s chance to establish himself as NUFC’s number 1 after some good displays towards the back end of the 15/16 season. He initially started on the bench and behind new signing Mats Sels but after some poor displays from the Belgian, again found himself as first choice.
He made some brilliant saves at key times and some good performances, such as saving two pens at Forest, showed his excellent shot stopping abilities. He is however prone to errors and sometimes lacks the aerial skills or commanding presence needed of a top keeper.
Rafa called Rob Elliott back into the side for the end of the Championship campaign and with us clearly searching for a new goal keeper, Darlow may just be sold. His relatively young age may also mean he commands a higher fee than Elliott, which may come into Rafa’s thinking.
Newcastle are notoriously good sellers under Ashley when it comes to recouping fees for players. Rafa will be assessing all options to increase his transfer budget and although all of the above are good players that you’d ideally want to keep in the squad, don’t be surprised to see some of them depart this summer.
We must not sell/give up on Mitro too soon, that will be a mistake. Don’t you think that Jose regreted selling Lukaku when he was at Chelsea, and now they want to buy him back for a huge figure. We must keep him, he is only 22 and I really believe he will be great!
Mike Adam(Quote)
40m Euro offered for Bas Dost?
Not a bad offer
Premandup(Quote)
I really dont know about Mitro. He had a decent start for us in the PL but was rubbish in tbe Fizzy. Will.trust Rafa’s judgement on this one.
Not happy for Mbemba to go. He finished last term strong and was mostly consistent in the PL.. Lots of potential and will provide solid competition to the other 3 CB’s.
Diame and Darlow I’m not fussed about.
shamrock(Quote)
Where have you seen that mate??
Icedog(Quote)
Agree 100% mate was our best player by far when we were in PL
Icedog(Quote)
SHAMROCK,talk is he does his own thing on the pitch and doesn’t carry out what Rafa wants,maybe it could be his poor understanding of English ??
Icedog(Quote)
PREM,I found it mate,club want 60mil I like him but cannot see it happening
Icedog(Quote)
May well be the case Ice, although I reckon will have been impressed by his performances during the run in. He was his usual assured self. Maybe he is starting to pick up the lingo. He does have the odd mistake in him but I would still say he is a serious contender for a starting position. The competition for places will be excellent if it is Mbemba, Lascelles, Clarke and Lejune. Just what we have missed for a long time.
shamrock(Quote)
Sham – my thoughts exactly mate. Both Mitro & Mbemba are both young and 1 good season could see both be valued at 3 times the suggested price above.
Not that I want us to be that selling club, but I think we would struggle to replace both with 1st team quality at £8-10m.
Both I think have a quality that could improve our first team squad – Diame and Darlow ??♂️
Sharpy17(Quote)
The problem is that MBemba was 8 million 2 years ago, so who do you replace him with? Things have gone so fckn nuts that that now gets you Ake’s right foot or Virgil Van Dijk’s left sock. Keane after one decent season goes for 30 mil with add-ons. And 50 mil for a fullback (Walker)!!!!!!!!
Rafa specifically said he didn’t pick MBemba partly because of his bad English and inability to communicate.
I still think the Cairney valuation is the craziest and we were pretty close to paying it. Lifelong lower leagues except for 10 games in 2010 and they want 25 mil.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I am not sold on Mitro, but as Sharpy said do you get any better for 10 mil and who do you replace him with? Bas Dost had a great season in the Portuguese league and is now valued at 40 million plus? It is Portugal and there are 3 good teams and the rest are Pub teams. AND he was playing for Sporting, so he only really had 4 competitive games to play in. I just cannot see spending that money based upon a goal a game in Portugal.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
For me it was interesting that we are reported as having bid 40m for one player. That is a lot more ambitious than I for one expected
Premandup(Quote)
Bas Dost is a good player though. In Germany he did well. He basically guarantees angoal every 2 games at least and will throw in a few assists. I’m not convinced we would spend upwards of £25m in a player though.
shamrock(Quote)
could it be a ploy by SP to put clubs off or get bigger bid??
icedog(Quote)
Sham it is reported that we have bid 40m euros, but that they want the 60m in the release clause!
Premandup(Quote)
If the Bas Dost offer is true, then I’m happy with that like and think it’s a fair offer.
For me, leave it on the table & work on other deals. If Sporting genuinely don’t think it’s then **** it, they can keep him.
But I’d be offering Chelsea the same money for Batshuyi.
I’d also be entering the race for Hernandez & Giroud.
Sharpy17(Quote)
How the football world has changed in such a short time,we would not pay 16mill for the PEA a couple of years back now look at his price,we could have signed Dost a couple of years ago for 15mil and wouldn’t pay it now they say they knocked back 40 mil,bloody crazy
Icedog(Quote)
And I thought there wad a global recession..
shamrock(Quote)
We’ve been linked with Dost Character every season for the last 3 years…
As for the thread – I think Darlow and Diame would be on my list but not the other two. They’re both young enough and will improve in my view. Migro scored 9 goals in the PL last time in a team that got relegated and he didn’t play every game either. He’s still only young.
Stuart79(Quote)
are we really going to believe a 40 mill bid was submitted for 1 player?
we haggled for 3 weeks over a few quid for Florian.
I smell bullshit
Gashley(Quote)
what do you think of Andre Gray? not that impressed tbh. scored 23 in the championship but only 10 last season, Similar stats to Mitro who was only 20 and his first season in the Prem
Gashley(Quote)
Gashley, not that impressed either.
Should start to see some details finalised now. Rafa has run the rule over all the squad including the returning loanees yesterday. he will know his squad now and where he really needs the people he has lined up.
Premandup(Quote)
Would also like us to enter the race for Hernandez too, likewise Giroud. I do like Mitro and we forget he’s still young, I would not give up on him just yet but I would look to getting in a quality winger and creative MF to provide the ammo any of our forwards will need. We saw last year with the teams that dropped yet again that goals keep you in this division. We can have a good defence but it only takes 1 goal to loose you the game and if we have no reply we are stumped.
Gayle is injury prone and Mitro still learning so a really prolific forward is needed. Not impressed by Diame I must say and feel we need an upgrade. As for keeper, I would be starting Elliot over Karl who I feel is better and more vocal at this time. Not overly impressed with the Joe Hart links.
kimtoon(Quote)
Huddersfield aren’t messing about are they? They’ve just broke their transfer record for the second time in a week!
Stuart79(Quote)
I don’t believe this £40m link to Bas Dost. Not for one second. Or the £20 mooted for the average journeyman Andre Gray who also wants £75k per week. £40m would probably get us Michy or an awful lot of foreign strikers who’d give a right arm for £75k a week.
I’d definitely get rid of Diame along with all the returning loanees. We might get £10m for the lot.
georgio(Quote)
Is anybody else a bit concerned that the PL now seems to have less and mess teams who you can look at and think they’ll be in a relegation battle?
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart: they are all in the mix mate, especially the other 2 promoted teams, Swans, West Brom, Stoke and Burnley. Remember last year the top 6 beat up the rest of the league and probably Everton will improve as well. It meant a massive gap between the top 7 and the rest who all had very similar points totals apart from the Mackems.
I think we can expect more of the same.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Here you go, S’ton were 8th with 46 points and Watford were 17th with 40 points. It will probably be the same this year and you wouldn’t rule out either of these teams and Bournemouth being in the relegation scrap.
Borunemouth may have spent big on Ake, but he is still unproven. They actually let in more goals with him in the team than without last year. There was also a big drop off in Defoe’s production last year. He is getting old and it might not have just been Moyes and a **** Mackem team in general.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
If people think that other teams are distancing themselves from us I would ask you to look at who they are buying – for the most part average and unproven players for record fees because the English transfer market has gone nuts. Anybody with one decent season is now valued at 20 mil and we will see if they can repeat.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Defoe turns 35 in October. He scored 15 goals last season. At least 3 were penalties – I couldn’t find full stats. I know quite a few of Shearer’s goals in his last few seasons were penalties and they still counted towards his record scorer numbers. However, there was a big dropoff in his tally otherwise and he retired.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – The point I’m trying to make is that the teams you mention like Stoke, WBA, Watford, Bournemouth and Palace all have huge amounts of money to spend compared to the promoted three due to the two years massive tv money. Personally I only see Burnley and Watford as obvious relegation threatened teams from last season PL.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stoke? Hughes is capable of going on death spirals. West Brom? Yoyo team in years gone by. Bournemouth. I am not impressed by their signings or squad. Swans? They will be in the relegation mixer. Add Huddersfield and Brighton and there will be a few fighting to stay up.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
If we are also talking about Carr’s might have been signings, how about a loan for Wilfred Bony? Went to City for 28 million. He was loaned to Stoke and only played 10 games – he went to ACON and then Hughes didn’t put him in the squad for the rest of the season. He might just need a new challenge and although Hughes was a very passionate player he comes across as a distant and moody manager.
Still only 28 and might be worth a punt when you consider that there is a 20 million bid mooted for Deeney.
Lacazette 11 caps for France
Sissoko 52 caps for France
Eric Sykes(Quote)
And I think it would be madness to buy Joe Hart. His confidence is shot, and we should only consider a loan to see if he can regain his old form. He is now a little bit mistake prone, wary of the high ball, hesitant to come for balls over the top and has bad distribution. Still a good shot stopper but has the failings of a combined Darlow and Timmy-the-hoof.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/difficult-newcastle-owner-providing-benitez-with-reassurances-6f8g37w55
Good read
kimtoon(Quote)
agree, not for me like.
kimtoon(Quote)
Wouldn’t open because it is subscription.
BUT, I see us linked again and again for big money buys of 29-30-31 year olds. That will not happen. Ashley might sanction 1 like Giroud OR Samaris for 20 million, BUT NOT BOTH.
That doesn’t rule out someone like Lucas who would cost a lot less or ‘keepers who often play well into their 30’s.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Good call on Bony Eric. Think he’s back at City though. There’s also a spare Bojan and an unhappy Shawcross at Stoke. Tadic has a £13m buy out apparently.
Might as well throw names around – that’s all the journos do.
Don’t want the Hull lads at all.
georgio(Quote)
Ashley in the box now
https://twitter.com/OscarWGrut
kimtoon(Quote)
Eric, nah mate I just registered to get a look at it.
kimtoon(Quote)
slippery fecker mind, that Jabba
kimtoon(Quote)
Blimey, Eric, Stoke and WBA have finished mid table for the last five seasons! Swansea have had one real relegation battle and that was last season. They haven’t improved that much so we will see about them but I’m not having Stoke and WBA as serial relation fodder
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart: there was 6 point spread between 8th and 17th last year. The top 7 are spending money like it is going out of fashion all chasing 4 Champions league places. They have the most successful Managers of the last 10-20 years barring Acellotti and Zidane (maybe Allegri).
They will continue to beat up on the rest of the league putting us all in a smaller and tighter box and bringing everybody into the relegation battle.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
There is a small glimmer of hope that Rafa can catch lightning in a bottle the way he did at Valencia and the way Keegan did at NUFC and Ranieri did at Leicester. Otherwise it is now “us and them”. The way La Liga is, the way the Bundesliga is, the way Serie A is, the way League Un is.
There will be a bit of movement as a megarich Sheikh or Oligarch buys into the elite but that will be few and far between. Football is now a plutocracy just like the rest of society and the rest of the world.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Agreed.
shamrock(Quote)
This league is the most bizarre in Europe. It’s split into the top 6, then 7th, then 8th to 15th then the rest. Basically Everton are in the position of being in the PL equivalent of solitary confinement…
Stuart79(Quote)
I can’t make my mind up on Hart if I’m honest. I do think he’s probably better than what we’ve got, but his wages would be huge. I like him as a pro & think he would give 100% even if it were a loan move – but if it were a loan move, what would be the point long term?!.
The more I see the Andre Gray link, the more it makes sense to me. I could see that one coming off as the replacement to Mitrovic. I just don’t think Rafa is sold on Mitro & Gray seems a better fit.
I think there will be another to replace Murphy too though.
I could also see Lotus-Cheek coming off.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Everton have to be careful as well. If you take away Lukaku’s 25 goals they may return to the pack no matter how many players they buy – you can only play 11 and if you have 16 of exactly the same quality you will not progress. Is Keane that good? Sandro? Schneiderin? I don’t know. They are not buying the top end players and we have seen before with Liverpool and Spurs when they got millions for Torres, Suarez, Bale that the mid-range players didn’t always work out.
I think the best buy is Pickford because of his distribution. I watched the U21s and he can pinpoint a pass to the half way line.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I see 80-20 million for Lukaku. Can you imagine what a 24 year old Shearer before injuries would be worth?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
according to SSN Erics mate Rooney is in favour of a move back to Everton.
kimtoon(Quote)
Priceless mate .
kimtoon(Quote)
80-100 million.
Got 20 million on the brain because that seems to be the asking price for every average PL player now.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
It’s sad to think that if Big Al were playing now we wouldn’t have a hope in hell of signing him under Jabba.
kimtoon(Quote)
Rooney of the 13 goals in 58 appearances over the last 2 years, including penalties.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
and the rest
kimtoon(Quote)
Sorry, Rooney has 13 league goals in 53 PL appearances. I think I would rather have Jay Rodriguez who had 35 in a 125 from the wing (according to Stuart, I thought he was more of a forward, but still).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Seriously, if you take away the pens, Rooney only has about 7 league goals in 53 PL appearances. He even broke Bobby Charlton’s record with a penalty.
Honestly, I am not obsessed. I just can’t believe it when the old pros say he is still great. Great at shirt sales. Joey Barton was at it again today.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Rafa must have got sick of the rags,he’s says he has no interest in any Hull players and no interest in joe Hart (good) he was upset they didn’t get Abraham but didn’t say who he was after. of coarse
Icedog(Quote)
Good stuff. I was not sold on the Hull winger idea either.
shamrock(Quote)
Ice,sham, me too, would hope to aim higher than Hulls cast offs and Hart is nowt special imo. Darlow is better.
kimtoon(Quote)
Ice – where have you seen that?, just been on news now but can’t find a press piece when Rafa is quoted at all.
Sharpy17(Quote)
IB TIMES mate
Icedog(Quote)
SHARPY just for you mate I found it here too
https://thisisfutbol.com/2017/07/blogs/premier-league/newcastle-have-no-interest-in-trio/
Icedog(Quote)
Man City have not taken the following players on the preseason tour: Hart, Bony, Mangala and Nasri. Their City careers are essentially over so why not take at least one of them on a season long loan as I doubt City will be able to sell any of them because of their wages.
Here’s my logic. Let’s say they are on 100,000 a week, that is 5 million a year. That might be OK to rent Nasri or Bony for a year especially when you consider what 5 million will buy you nowadays. Then they will have run down another year of their City contract and they know they will never get paid the same wage again because of their diminished reputation, age and the fact City were the only club paying crazy, insane wages to non-top-tier players.
If they did well we could probably pick them up for next to nothing and negotiate a lower but longer contract.
I saw Nasri play a few games for Seville and he was still pretty good.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Nasri only turned 30 a week ago. We could do far worse than giving him 100k a week on a 4 year deal as long as City will sell for less than 10 mil. I am not advocating this as a general plan, but for one player who would make a difference I think we should make an exception. I don’t care if it is Nasri, Bony, Giroud (all proven in the PL) – a one time exception to the general wage and transfer practice of Ashley makes sense.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Ice
I posted my predicted signings last week.
My predictions did not include Hart, nor any player from Hull and it did not include Tammy Abraham as I had been led to believe that we had no interest in him.
Lejeune was on the list and the other names are still a possibility.
I will cross them off the list as they sign for some other club .
sidekick(Quote)
What’s your names mate??
Icedog(Quote)
Ice – thanks mate, I didn’t see that one, but there’s no quote from Rafa. It’s probably true though, I don’t see Rafa being that arsed about those players – Clucas?! – hardly worth getting rid of Colback for £5m to spend £10m on his twin brother.
Hart – I do quite like, but yeah I get the argument about is he that much better – and his wages are huge!!.
I did quite like the Polish lad too, but I don’t see him topping Rafas list like.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – Nasri has a bit of the Ben Arfas about him I think mate.
I’d take Bony if we can’t get Batshuyi though.
I would defo take Nolito from City though if he was available
Sharpy17(Quote)
Ice
Pepe Reina, Florian Lejeune, Kieren Gibbs, Ryad Boudebouze and/or Andre Gray ,
Michy Batshuayi on loan.
sidekick(Quote)
Yeah Sharpy: but he doesn’t have Arrogant Alan as Manager. I could name a hundred players who are/were stroppy, selfish and sulky but worth the effort. Here’s a few Cantona, Sanchez, Ibra, Ronaldo, Jaap Stam, van Nistlerooy etc.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Funny, they were mainly Man U players that came to mind and somehow Fergie controlled them. I forgot to mention the biggest **** of them all ROYSTON KEANE.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Jaap Stam has confirmed he wanta to sign Darlow for Reading.
Meanwhile we are apparenrly signing some kid released by Arsenal called Stefan O’Connor.
Never heard of him. Probably one for the future as opposed to now.
shamrock(Quote)
Sidekick – id be thrilled with those like!!.
For what it’s worth, we are bookies favourites for Gibbs & Batshuyi – which may actually mean we won’t be signing them ?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric – your point is fair with those players – and maybe that’s the case with Nasri too. But Benny has struggled with all managers not just Al.
Nasri is a top top player on his day & can be that game winner we don’t have. I like Nolito a lot too though.
Sharpy17(Quote)