After a slow and sluggish start to our summer rebuild, Rafa Benitez has now assigned five new recruits to his Premier League project, and whilst more will undoubtedly arrive, I have one niggling concern with those we have brought in so far – their age/experience.
Mikel Merino, Jacob Murphy and Javier Manquillo – three promising young players with potential to improve, but at 21, 22 and 23, they lack experience and the Premier League know-how our squad severely lacks.
Then there’s Florian Lejeune and Christian Atsu. At 26 and 25 respectively, the pair are at good ages, but it must be said that they too lack any real top flight experience, despite forgettable ‘stints’ at Manchester City and Chelsea.
For the record, I have been mightily impressed by Lejeune over pre-season, and am becoming increasingly confident that he will be a hit, but as we’ve learnt with the likes of Mapou Yanga Mbiwa and Jean Alain Boumsong, foreign imports do bring that element of risk.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for signing players for the future and scouring the European market for bargain buys – there’s every chance the likes of Murphy, Lejeune and Merino turn out to be future stars at the club – but we need players for now, and it’s fair to say that not one of our five summer signings have any proven track record in the English top flight.
Premier League experience is undoubtedly lacking in our squad, with just five players with over 100 Premier League appearances (Diame, Krul, Colback, Clark and Shelvey), and it will be argued that only two of those are players you’d want starting against Spurs in the season opener.
To summarise, i’m quite content with some of our signings thus far, however I am hoping to see Benitez bring in some senior figures and players with some Premier League experience in the weeks to come – we can not afford to take a leap of faith next season in such a defining period for the club.
The addition of some experienced heads, Premier League know-how and proven quality would go down a treat – but given our limited resources and reliance on player sales, signing the above is easier said than done – especially in this day and age.
Young #NUFC
Woodman 20
Yedlin 24
Lascelles 23
Mbemba 22
Manquillo 23Murphy 22
Hayden 22
Mireno 21
Aarons 21Perez 24
Mitrovic 22 pic.twitter.com/Vd80CjP0kf— NUFC Gallowgate (@NUFCgallowgate) July 27, 2017
officially bottom feeders mate, PL paupers 👿 🙁 even Bristol city spent £6m on a striker
kimtoon(Quote)
KIM I honestly believe Rafa will stay but at the end of the season he will go without doubt jabba has filled him with bullshit,we knew that you just cannot trust the slime bag he is
Icedog(Quote)
ice, no one could blame him either and the club will be toxic to any decent manager. We would end up with yet another wholly inadequate cheap yes man. And still the thousands will turn up to watch and that is why the fat man will never go. I actually think he is jealous of Rafa’s relationship with the fans.
kimtoon(Quote)
Reckon that Justin Barnes was brought in to make sure Lee didn’t cave in to Rafas demands tbh. Nowt to do with potential investors, that was a bullshit line to get season ticket sales up.
kimtoon(Quote)
You have a real good point there mate
Icedog(Quote)
Why should Rafa stay and get shat on? If he stays it’s because of the fans. But he’s achieved too much in the game to be treated like **** by Jabba. It’s clear as day that Jabba told him one thing and something else is actually happening. Shameful but not surprising.
This season will be tough as anything! Who’s the strugglers? Us, Huddersfield, Brighton and Burnley? WBA, Bournemouth, West Ham and Watford were all safe well before the season ended last season so I don’t see them struggling – especially with them spending and improving. Our biggest weapon is Rafa and if he’s worth 12-15 points we will stay up. But it’s going to be a relegation battle.
Stuart79(Quote)
That’s just what Rafa said today,it’s going to be a relegation battle,that not like him
Icedog(Quote)
I really feel for Rafa he never took a holiday but worked on players we needed to be ok,and now has been totally let down by the club,if I was him I would walk
Icedog(Quote)
I have watched a few pre-season games and I am going to do a couple of predictions. I think there will be a clear top 6 and bottom 4. It will be hard to decide in what order but I may as well try. The rest, including us will be in the middle and separated by 10 points or less so who knows the order. I am hoping with a couple of signings we will be 12-14.
I saw Man City destroy Spurs and Man U do OK against the best team in the world. Klopp has had time to put his stamp on Liverpool, and Arsenal have a deep squad. Chelsea have CL and a shallow squad and Spurs are basically playing 38 away games. So:
Man City
Man U
Liverpool
Arsenal
Chelsea
Spurs
I don’t care how many midfielders Everton have bought, swapping Lukaku for Rooney means they will come back to the pack. 7th is up for grabs.
Two of the promoted teams will go down (hopefully not us) and Swansea or Burnley. I am going for:
Burnley
Swansea
Brighton
Huddersfield
It will be interesting to see how totally wrong I am.
Of course if Paul Merson’s Giant Balloon Head or Ian Wright agree with my selections I might have to go back to the drawing board.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Yes, I did get bored with the constant NUFC transfer/money sagas today 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Hughes or Clement will be 1st Manager sacked. That is sacked, because if Rafa has a blowup with Fatman he might resign but he will not be sacked.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Rafa Benitez says he is preparing himself for a relegation battle for the first time in 20 years
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4772610/Rafa-Benitez-admits-s-preparing-relegation-battle.html#ixzz4pDuLwFns
That is plain sad. It is even worse than last year when Rafa went down with Toon to CL. Where is your ambition Rafa? Oh man I think I am gonna give myself a break.
funrafa(Quote)
I don’t think we will be relegated but I think there will be about 10 teams that are in a relegation battle that will not really dwindle to 6-7 until the final 2 months. That has been the pattern for a few seasons with all of these teams being taken over by Oligarchs, Sheikhs and Far East new money.
Even if we get Lucas Perez, a number 10 and another goalie we will still be in that mix (especially as I don’t see a new goalie being that much of an upgrade on Elliot).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
All of us on here look at the NUFC news on a daily basis and get caught up in it. The papers fuel any suspicions or cracks by dwelling on every nuance of every word Rafa utters. Then it takes on a life of its own on Blogs. This one is probably least likely to get taken in by the gossip but it still happens.
We think we are somehow unique but this is going on at all clubs. Who has everybody from Sky to the papers to their peers lauded as doing the best business this window?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Yes, Everton. But, here are couple of quotes from the Telegraph on the Siggurdson deal:
“It had been thought that a deal was close but Koeman is increasingly frustrated at the club’s continued failure”… “Sources close to the club suggested that a fee at around 45 million had been agreed…before an attempt by Everton to renegotiate the terms”
Sounds like Fatman and Charnley right? And Everton have just had an injection of cash by someone who bought 49% of the club and they sold Stones last year and their 20+ goal striker this year. And yet they are being lauded for doing the best business.
FFS, Sigurdsson refused to go on the Swansea US tour trying to push the deal through. He went on strike and they are still having difficulty.
I am sure this will get done, but is he worth 45 million? And would you be happy getting him and 2 players with 1 year PL experience for 30 mil apiece in Pickford and Keane in return for Stones and Lukaku?
That is before the Ross Barclay situation, and what to do with Rooney when he turns out to be as **** as I think he is.
And this is the team who have done the best business? As an outsider I would say their window has been as big a mess as ours. Their saving grace is they start with a better squad.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I mean, this happens at every club if you follow it closely.
Chelsea win the league, Conte falls out with Costa and there are rumours he will quit if he doesn’t get more players. Then Carra says he will be gone regardless in 12 months.
There are protests against Wenger who keeps everybody on hold for 3 months as to whether he will stay on or not and they cant do a deal with their 2 best players (Ozil and Sanchez) and The OX who can all leave for nothing in a year.
I could go on (Man U, Citeh being trophyless under Pep, Spurs not expanding their squad etc, etc), but there is turmoil and discontent at much more successful clubs than us. We just pay more attention to NUFC.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
We can make predictions but the fact is if we go into the season with this squad it only takes an injury to a striker and we’re knackered. We couldn’t score goals when we got relegated and we’re no better in that dept today.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart: who we going to get though? We are probably forced to look at some who didn’t quite succeed in the PL like Lucas Perez and Slimani. The ones who had good seasons like Josh King their clubs will not let go.
Hopefully Rafa has something brewing in Spain or Germany. He said he had 3 or 4 choice/irons in the fire at the same time.
Still 3 weeks before close of transfer window.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Watford buying Andre Gray for £18.5m
Stuart79(Quote)
That sounds about right in today’s market, but…
1 year in PL, 26 years old
9 goals in 32 games, not bad
why would Burnley let him go?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
If we are all honest though, this window has not turned out like many thought it would.
kimtoon(Quote)
Eric – He’s in the last year of his contract.
Stuart79(Quote)
Hoots says they are going to break their transfer record on a striker 😯
icedog(Quote)
well thats over the top imo
icedog(Quote)
Tbh we deserve to get relegated with this owner. He really is a piece of ****.
Stem(Quote)
How people defend his lack of ambition is beyond me.
Stem(Quote)
Seriously if Rafa walk’s what then some **** head coach and a director of football ?
Stem(Quote)
Why dont we just sell all are good players, spend nowt and make Colback captain Mike Ashley
Stem(Quote)
The interview with Rafa today shows he is as much, if not more, frustrated with how the transfer market has ballooned as he is about not having the funds he needs to compete immediately. He didn’t make comparisons to how the transfer market ballooning in recent years is just like what happened to Paul Merson’s head, but I think he thought it.
But, I digress. The interview, you can see it in the Chronic, is very forthright, illuminating, pragmatic and exactly what you would expect from Rafa.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric, It does show how it’s almost impossible for newly promoted clubs to compete financially with clubs who were already in the PL the year before. Bournemouth with attendances of 12,000 and Watford with 20,000 are prime examples. Even teams like Middlesbrough can spend more and they’re in the Fizzy!
Maybe newly promoted clubs should be given a years parachute payments in advance when they get promoted to help them compete? If they stay up, the advance parachute payment gets deducted of next years money?
Stuart79(Quote)
Lee Ryder has done an article saying Rafa and Wenger hold talks on Perez ! unbelievable but lee has managed to fashion an article based on something rafa said in jest 😆 🙄 😳
**** poor that from Lee, pure click bait.
kimtoon(Quote)
And no I have not read it cause I know what it’s based on.
kimtoon(Quote)
Every window there is a player we are supposedly after all window which never transpires, it is mind numbingly predictable .
kimtoon(Quote)
Rafa’s a clever bloke. He knew what Ashley was promising with “every penny”. He just didn’t see the madness of this window coming. I don’t think anyone did. He says he’s frustrated and not happy but it’s not with Ashley or the club it’s the bloody inflated market. It was going to cost almost £10m to borrow Abraham for a year! Foreign clubs see English coming and add a 0.
Conversely I can see the market dropping near the end when it normally escalates. That’s when we’ll do our business. Perez price will drop from £13m to £10m and so on.
Rafa will get it right.
georgio(Quote)
Perez wants back to Deportivo though so not sure we should waste time on a player who’s heart is elsewhere.
kimtoon(Quote)
http://www.shieldsgazette.com/sport/football/newcastle-united/rafa-benitez-delivers-bombshell-to-jack-colback-at-newcastle-1-8693945
For me this is great news should have happened a long time ago,your the man Rafa
Icedog(Quote)
Our squad is too big by 8 players, Colback, Lazaar, Haidara, Good, Krul, Saivet, Riviere, and Murphy. We know we need a striker and a No 10.
If we want a keeper and a LB then that’s 10 players to shift. Given their wages and contracts, they ain’t going anywhere.
So what do we do, write off their contracts which is paying up £50m probably so that we can spend out on 4 more. Be realistic, we have to shift players before we buy anymore.
Premandup(Quote)
Prem, But Rafa reckons he doesn’t have to sell to buy, but yes it looks like we certainly need to shift a lot of deadwood.
kimtoon(Quote)
It’s being reported that Raffa has told Wor Ginger Jack that he will not be in the 25 man squad ….. ???????? good news.
Dubai Toon(Quote)
The best news I’ve had in a long time even that it’s been a long time coming
Icedog(Quote)
well I won’t take pleasure in Colback getting booted out. He’s always given 100% to be fair & it’s his boyhood club – must be heartbreaking for the lad. His 100% isn’t good enough and the PL is too high a standard for him, so it’s the right call – but I won’t be gleeful about it coz I don’t think the lad deserves that.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I agree with you Sharpy, but it was getting a bit predictable the way he was playing and giving away fouls. I guess Rafa tried to work on it and just got frustrated.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
So, the 25 man squad has to submitted on Friday. We will submit a squad with 22 I think which leaves 3 places open. Is that how it works? We submit 22 so we can add new signings?
I know we can also play players that are not named in the squad but are under a certain age. Not sure what that is. I am also not sure what happens with loan players.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
A bit more on Ginger Jack. You know when Rafa is asked about a specific player and whether he will play the next game he always says “he has trained well”. My guess is that he has worked with Colback in training on the flaws that we all see and it has not translated to game day. Now he has realized that Jack is Jack and Rafa wants to move on and move him on.
The Chronic are saying wages would be a problem in The Championship. Villa or Wolves could afford him I am sure.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Can Deportivo La Caruna really afford Lucas Perez’s wages? He left them for Arsenal for 20 million euros so you would have to expect he had a substantial pay raise. La Liga is not like the Premier League. Real Madrid and Barcelona strike their own TV deals and hoover up most of the money. The rest of the teams are left fighting for local deals and scraps. It is his home town club, but surely we could offer more money and if he his sentimental he could return there when his contract is up with us.
I think Rafa wants a loan, but if it gets too late, or Deportivo look like loaning him then we might move to buy. I bet he was asking Arsene for a loan deal and to keep him in the loop.
BTW, Arsenal have like a squad of 40. It will be interesting to see if Perez is in their PL 25 man squad on Friday.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
We don’t get Sky Sports over here, but I fear for your sanity over there in the UK. Now that Pards has joined there could be a dream team panel of him, Merse and McClaren.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Toon sign 21. Yr old Kenady on loan from Chelsea he’s a winger,only seen him play once. didn’t do a lot for me that time
Icedog(Quote)
Ice: That is really good news because it will allow us to concentrate on the areas we actually need players in. I never thought we needed another winger if Aarons could stay fit (big if) because we have him, Ritchie, Atsu and Murphy. Now we have 5 wingers!!!!
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Kenedy? I thought he was a full back?
Stuart79(Quote)
Sharpy I wish Colback all the best at his new club. I wouldn’t for the likes of Siem De Jong who has taken the **** since day one.
Stem(Quote)
I’ll give it four week’s until Siem De Jong is out for the rest of the season.
Stem(Quote)
He was on loan at Watford last season and he ended up back at Chelsea prematurely.
Stuart79(Quote)
He was injured.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
He’s a bit of a cocky so and so,he was sent home from club tour of China,believed to have some bad remarks on Twitter,but club must have thought a bit about him to take him on tour
Icedog(Quote)
Ice: he put a couple of things on Instagram and The Mirror has a link on their story. It almost caused a diplomatic incident because the State run newspaper had a story about it. That’s why he was sent home, to calm things down. It is PC gone mad though.
If you look at his Instagram it is him, a Brazilian, doing a really bad impersonation of the way the Chinese speak. Then he has a picture of one of their Chinese security guards apparently asleep on his feet.
I am absolutely certain this is not why they sent him to us on loan. He was injured a lot last season at Watford and only played one game so they want him to get some experience. It will be good if Stuart is correct and he is more of a wing-back, that’s an area where we have a need more than a winger.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I am sure Uncle Ed will have something up tonight about Kenedy, but if you don’t want to go there I will summarize Wikipedia.
Kenedy is 21 years old and cost Chelsea 6.2 million pounds. He has played for Brasil at U17 and U20 level. He is a winger and occasional left back. It doesn’t say so but I am assuming he is left footed.
For all you Dummett haters out there, and there are many, Kenedy may provide some cover/competition.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Lucas Perez’s options are getting more limited. Fenerbache just signed Saldado for about 10 million Euros so I not sure they will be splashing out on another forward.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I will bet anybody on here a tenner that we will go to Wembley this year.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Troy will take that bet Eric 🙂
Stem(Quote)
Spurs are playing all there PL games at wembley next season
Stem(Quote)
Really Stem 🙂 You spoilt it. I thought someone might bite.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I wonder if Spurs will sell extra away tickets at Wembley? I doubt they will fill the ground and it will probably be a while before NUFC fans get to go again. Probably charge 70 quid a ticket so it could be a money maker for them.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Long time no post!
And now quite confusing to decide what article to comment on…
I see the usual huge range of view is still around too. No shock there. Doom and gloom alongside delusions of grandeur. Always fun.
Delighted to get back in the PL, but this season surely has to be to consolidate our position in the PL, hopefully see some of our players shine like they belong there, and be able to build for the future?
Big players don’t sign for a promoted club for £20-30m unless they go there for the money or it’s really the only way to get into the PL before angling for a move to a bigger club. If you were a player (and not a NUFC fan), we would be way down the list of PL clubs to sign for, even with Rafa. London clubs always have that edge and clubs that have been in the PL for a few years with experienced PL players are more attractive as players don’t want to join a club for a relegation battle.
When you look at the stupid money that is being spent this summer, it’s no surprise we can’t compete. Players we haven’t even heard of are signing for lower PL clubs for around £20m! It’s insane.
I’m not expecting a pretty season…but hopefully we can comfortably stay up, some of our players shine and Rafa can attract some bigger players next summer.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Talking of Spurs. 3 days before their opening fixture, Danny Rose gives a candid interview to The Sun saying he wants to leave, like his best friend Kyle Walker, to double his wage and win trophies. Furthermore, he says he thinks his team mates should be thinking the same way. That has to be a bit unsettling. I am sure they get The Sun at the training ground and to have that splashed all over the back might have a few tongues wagging.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Hoots has brought a striker in 16mil they are trying to stay up good on hoots,i bet Rafa is spitting blood,thats 26 mil spent in 2 weeks
icedog(Quote)
A 25 year old Colombian winger with 2 caps and been playing in Belgium going for up to £16m to Brighton. How many of us would be happy if we signed a player like that for that money?
Football has gone mad in the last 12 months or so and Newcastle are way behind. The CL teams are spending £50m for just good players and other teams are paying £20m for unproven players just to stay up!
We’re at least 5 years from competing with the likes of Everton, let alone higher up. So unless we can score a fluke season, like Leicester did, fans should brace themselves for a fair few seasons of slow progression at best. In fact, slow progression is the optimistic option. Established in the top 10 in 5 years would actually be excellent realistically.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
He is from the Belgian league for £13.5m. Who knows if he is any good..
I’m not bothered about how much we or anybody else spends, so long as we get the right players in for the right positions.
We need a striker and a creative midfielder now and I’ll be happy with that, whether on loan or permanent I don’t care so long as they deliver.
shamrock(Quote)
Would be great to see some dead exit the building too… If for nothing else, it would keep the training ground feeling fresh.
shamrock(Quote)
Sham: “Some of the dead”. I must admit the likes of Riviere and Lazaar play like Zombies.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Sham
I think that’s the big problem to be honest. I don’t believe that we don’t have money to BUY players, but I think Ashley would be a bit pissed off that we’ve got players at the club on decent wages (some were signed by Rafa) who aren’t wanted and yet we can’t shift them to another club.
Mitrovic, Krul, Colback, Lazaar, Haidara, Riviere, Hanley, Gamez, Saivet…none of them look like they’ve got a future with this club. Must cost a fortune in wages for that lot and I can’t imagine Rafa wants to give them many minutes in the PL. Maybe Mitrovic will have to play a bit if we don’t get another striker, but the rest?
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Yeah I agree TDS. Huge outlay for no return. It’s a difficult one. I think we simply have to bite the bullet and loan them or sell them but subsidise their wages when they leave for what would have been the rest of their contract. At least that way we are saving some money, bringing in some cash and keeping the squad fresh and competitive. Risking stagnation and bad feeling in the dressing room is not a recipe for success.
shamrock(Quote)
I’m pretty sure that is what will happen Sham. But don’t forget, that is so far away from Ashley’s way of doing business, he can’t be happy. He’s got every right to be asking Rafa why the hell did he sign Lazaar, Hanley and Gamez when they didn’t even do much for us in the Championship, let alone be ready to step up to the PL. If they were on small wages and another Championship or foreign team could just snap them up, then great, but it’s a joke that a newly promoted club has players on high wages that aren’t good enough.
Maybe 1 or 2 of those players will surprise us and be more suited to the style of play in the PL…still hoping that Perez will prove that point…
We really don’t have that many players proven in the PL. It’s going to be tough.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Sham – I agree with that. Previous regime’s chickens still roosting. I’d add De jong to that. Mind you some of Rafa’s eggs haven’t hatched either.
Never seen Kenedy play but in general Chelsea sign good players. Wing back? Competition for Dummett?
georgio(Quote)
Who could actually be considered an established PL player in our squad? Shelvey and Ritchie? I’m not sure there’s anyone else is there?
Plenty of players with things to prove this season: Gayle, Clark, Hayden, Perez, SDJ, Diame, Lascelles, Atsu, Yedlin not to mention the new signings.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
There’s a youtube clip (I know) of Kenedy on Ed’s. He is one of those players where the ball looks like it sticks to his feet and is hard to shake off the ball. Mind, youtube never show any clips where the dribbles don’t come off.
I am sure you can look up the clip if you are interested. It is about 4 mins.
Eric Sykes(Quote)