Let me start this by saying that I rate Marc Guehi highly. He’s a proven Premier League operator, a great age at 24, a captain at his club, a great character and can play as a left or right-sided centre-back.
He’d add so much to our squad and offer that bit of athleticism to a fairly one-paced group of centre-backs, but is he worth the reported £70m Crystal Palace are demanding? I don’t think so.
Reports on Friday suggested that our fourth bid worth £65m was rejected by Palace and it’s not clear if we’ll return with another bid or walk away and pursue other alternatives.
Personally, I think it’s time we did the latter if Palace really are holding out for ‘in excess’ of £70m and feel Sven Botman is a perfect example of why we should do so.
We plucked Botman from Lille for £35m – half the fee Crystal Palace are demanding for Guehi – and Bruno Guimaraes was only £40m from Lyon. Superb signings and more proof that there’s brilliant value to be had in many of the major European leagues outside of England.
With PSR still a constant concern and a quality right-winger (who won’t come cheap) also needed, I can’t help but wonder if Newcastle should be moving for an overseas gem who’d cost a fraction of Guehi fee.
Steve Nickson’s scouting has to be trusted and Paul Mitchell has strong links overseas after spells in Germany and France. Guehi is great, but £70m? It feels too much.
It’s not a given that we can just pluck Malick Thiaw from AC Milan, but Sky Sports and the Italian media suggested he could cost more like £35m, while the likes of Mohamed Simakan (RB Leipzig) and Ousmane Diomande (Sporting Lisbon) will almost certainly cost far less than Guehi.
Time to back our scouting, use Mitchell’s contacts and trust Howe’s coaching by signing a European gem that could free up funds to put towards a much-needed winger? Right now, that feels like a better idea than blowing potentially all of the budget on Guehi.
Olly – I think the biggest problem is Palace agreed to a 20% sell on when they got him from Chelsea – so if they value him at £60m hence why they want £70m plus to get close to their valuation. It wouldn’t surprise me if as part of the ‘add ons’ they try with a sell on themselves.
I agree with you that we should walk away. In reality we could buy 2 CBs or a CB & RWF for the money now spoken about for Guehi.
But part of our problem with Botman & Lascelles out so long is we also need a CB for right now!!.
If we were buying a CB new to the league, that needed to happen at the start of the window to give them a full pre season at least.
The PL isn’t somewhere you learn on the job.
Our lack of urgency up to this point was always going to cost us – and now Schar is missing for 3 games, it might just cost a bit more.
Sharpy17(Quote)
What I can’t understand is the time wasted on the likes of Calvert Lewin?!.
I dont understand spending all that time working on Thiaw only to walk away and go after Guehi when that was never a straight forward deal.
I’ve said it before & I know people disagree, but their actions feel like they don’t have a plan.
Sharpy17(Quote)
That’s looking more like press speculation more than actual truth though. Were we really in for either of those players?
Absolutely glorious(Quote)
I’ve said it before Jaka Bijol and Logan Costa look good and would cost less than half what guehi is going to cost. Bijol was great in the euros and Costa has a great season in France. Could probs get them both for 50m. Forget about guehi, palace will be desperate to get something for him when he runs his contract down.
DR(Quote)
Totally agree with you all, he’s a good player but not 60- 70 million. On the Palace podcast they were saying he wood be great if he could head a ball. More out there for half the money, but still think we could go back again. Hwtl
Kiddafromthetoon(Quote)
I Think the Owners of Newcastle haven’t got a clue I think we Hired a Lemon in Paul Mitchell.Look at what players Sly Dan Ashford has brought in for Manure!I think the likes of Bruno and Isak Will leave after this season when they figure out this So called “Project” isn’t matching their Ambitions.Newcastle for Freebies.Joke of a club The 2 Howe brothers have to go and I don’t Understand why Tindell is on the books he does Nothing!
Jonboy(Quote)
You not celebrating your four nil win today jonboy
Darren Bebb(Quote)
Goes back in his box when they lose, he’ll be thinking that after 2 wins and they’ll be a shoe in for promotion 😂😂😂 Poor boy talking 💩 about our owners when theirs is a joke.
Olly don’t ban him we need a clown to laugh at on here.
Absolutely glorious(Quote)
With the injury list last season we’d be good if we can keep a fit team and a couple players in before window shuts id look elsewhere than palace theyre pushing there limits
Ryan Guminski(Quote)
For such great owners why do we leave it to last minute dot com to sign players we need getting fed up with it now it’s every transfer window
Ken Loughran(Quote)
Walk away we need to get our finances in order first this is embarrassing the signal we are putting out is we are prepared to be messed around two bids is enough for any player every club will see Newcastle as desperate and over inflate prices.
So we pay 70 million then next summer we have to sell a top class player to meet financial constraints we can’t sell fringe players because nobody wants them
AMP(Quote)
I would of walked away after the second bid, I rate him at around £40m not 70-80, Harris is just milking it, it doesn’t seem that the defender himself is that bothered about joining Newcastle anyway which would be a Red flag to me, there are other good defenders out there Mr Howe, go look at them.
Vanny(Quote)
The bubble of takeover and wealth has truly burst and were back to Mike Ashley tactics in the transfer market.
Same team as last season on Saturday tells it all and getting sick of Eddie Howes jumped up transfer position interfering with potential purchases.
Come back Amanda you were the glue as NUFC fall back apart to a mid table cupless future.
John Eddy(Quote)
Forget Guehi NOW, decent defender but certainly not a superstar and not worth near 70 million!.He hasn’t exactly shown he really wants to come apart from saying SJP was his favourite ground, was that the truth or just saying it for the cameras? GONE ON FOR FAR TOO LONG NOW. Hope it all goes belly up for Parrish and Palace!
Trust Mitchell and the scouts and spend the same amount on a defender and attacker, 2 for the price of one, NO BRAINER
John Clark(Quote)
Absolutely agree, If a big club comes upon a signing they sign them in a couple of days. I just cannot understand why one of the richest clubs in the world are always last to sign anyone. 👎👎
Mr Barry caton(Quote)
Why don’t Crystal Palace just say that GUEHI is not for sale and stop this endless farce!
TigerMax(Quote)