Ebondo and Mulemo to sign in at Newcastle?

Posted on May 20th, 2010 | 45 Comments |

A new right-back to rival Simpson?
A new right-back to rival Simpson?
Over the last few weeks a lot of debate has taken place over just what areas of our squad should be ear-marked as a priority for strengthening and which areas we could get by with what we have right now.

The general feeling is that right back is a key priority, as is our long-standing problem with actually arranging some cover Jose Enrique at left-back. Well, two names have emerged today that would manage to address both of those issues should we end up signing them, Albin Ebondo and Landry Mulemo. The former may be a familiar name to some, as we were on the verge of signing him in January ’09. That deal was almost done when his club, Toulouse, decided now was the time to ramp the price up to £6 million. Needless to say, our interest cooled after being treated with such contempt by the French club, but it now looks like Newcastle could be having the last laugh.

It was only the late in the day price fix manoeuvre that forced the original move to collapse, with a deal closer to £3 million having been agreed only for it near double as the signing edged closer to becoming reality. All that is irrelevant now though, as Newcastle look set to profit on the player now as he walks away from to Toulouse on a free transfer after playing 181 times for them.

Moving on to the left side, we have interest in Standard Liege defender, Landry Mulemo who will also be available on a free transfer in the summer, although we will have to beat the likes of Anderlecht and West Ham to the players signature. Mulemo is a former Belgian U-21 and U-23 international, and at only 23 years old himself could have his best years ahead of him.

Whether all this is just paper talk or if there is any truth in it is an open question, but it does address two areas of our squad that need beefing up. Free transfers they may be, but both have won titles and cups in their respective leagues and both have featured in the Champions League in recent times, a bit like Habib Beye had done before his move to Tyneside.

Whether or not we have another Habib in the offing is something only time will tell, but what is becoming apparent is that signings are being lined up, and every time Hughton opens his mouth at the moment it is a point that gets re-iterated.

Silly season is in full swing.

NUFCBlog Author: toonsy toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.

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45 Responses

  3. Ebondo can be a good signing, but I dont think we need Mulemo. We already have a world class left back in Jose Enrique, and he will have no chance to play ahead of him. But first I hope we can sign a world-class striker.

  4. so are either going to the world cup? So if not, a deal could be tied up any time before hand then, hmm interesting.
    With the emergence of Kadar,and his adaptability at left back, I doubt this position is now a priority, an issue which needs addressed, yes, however a problem which needs sorted immediately, no.
    Right back however is somewhere I think will be prioritised, we fancied shelling out a couple of mil only a year ago on Ebondo, and he is free now, get him signed up I say!!!

  5. And I bet we get neither because other clubs with outbid us on the wages as everyclub in the league knows we have a wages cap now, so they’ll just give the players more & we’ll end up with nowt :(

    Btw, who said that this deal for Ebondo was almost complete in 2009, the club, JFK etc, as we know back then, they did nowt but lie to the fans, so they could have just said that to passify us, we don’t really know!!

  7. Just another couple of names in an interminable list that will continue until the window closes.
    Mostly agent planted, hey agent`s gotta make a living too !
    They find willing collaborators in the media hacks, ah well! only to be expected.

  8. I doubt Landry Mulemo would come as cover to Enrique. He will go somewhere to be first choice. I don’t think Kadar gets the recognition he deserves for covering LB, everytime I have seen him he has looked solid and even started to play in Jonas a bit in the end. Im not saying get rid of Simpson but I think it would be excellent if we got Ebondo. We will have to act fast though because I think free transfers (who arnt world cup bound) will get snapped up quick in the current climate.

  9. well done cyprus-toon bring out the doom and gloom yet again!!

    we dont know whats gonna happen in the summer but like toonsy said CH keeps coming out and saying there will be new signings so just wait and see. these are just two players that could fit the bill but its all just spectulation at the min sometimes its nice to speculate and hopfully we might get one right lol

  10. Chuck says:

    ‘Just another couple of names in an interminable list that will continue until the window closes. Mostly agent planted, hey agent`s gotta make a living too !’.

    Lee Charnley (club sectretary) and Dennis Wise were in France for 2 days trying to sign Ebondo in 2009. It’s not a made up target.

  11. @ Oblong – I’m merely pointing out that if we were after them, then other clubs will be too & we don’t have the funds to do battle with them, so I’d rather know that know & be surprised, then expect it & be disappointed mate!

  13. Why would Nolan wanna link back up with Big Sam now that he doesn’t have to listen to his big gob anymore. Plus his family are all settled up here.

  14. Alas, we know that anyone linked with us ends up elsewhere, so you can rule these two out.

    Toonsy’s right in differentiating between positions where we need a starter and positions where we need cover.

    For me, the only new 1st-choice we need is LB, with Simpson (and possibly R Taylor) snapping at his heels for that berth as a very close understudy. You could make the case for a 1st-choice prem striker, but given our financial constraints I don’t think we’ll find any better than we have for an affordable price.

    As for backups/understudies, I think CH’s model of young, talented and keen to learn is perfect. We need cover for Enrique, Routledge and Jonas.

    That, I think, is about it, with the possible exception of an extra CB for injury cover. Everywhere else we’re well provided for if all you’re going for is survival. No huge budget needed.

  15. 3… Kristoffer, no offense mate, but dont you think “world class” is pushing it a bit?… Certainly Enrique is good, but he aint world class, and talking of world class strikers comming here is ammo for the media to call us deluded, lets not feed them!.

  16. Seen us linked with this pair and Raffaele Maoirano as well as SWP today. Don’t get me wrong, I’d take those 4 (though SWP looks a little out of our price range), but this is going to go on for weeks now.

    We’re just going to have to wait to see it on the website. To be fair, there are some absolute beauties available on a free at the moment.

  17. DJG 10#

    Sure we know that, we were supposedly in for Turan and Modric also, so are we going to sign them? ,it`s an old link.
    You will see there`s going to be plenty more before the window close`s

  18. Well, Modric was at the training ground being shown around according to Allardyce, something he reitirated only a couple of weeks back

    As DJG said, we were very much in for him, with direct quotes from manager at the time Joe Kinnear, and indeed the player at the time, to back it up.

  19. Are people forgetting both seasons Enrique had in the Premiership? He was crap both times.

    People say Danny Simpson is the one who has to “prove himself” too, lol.

  20. Wickywoowoo

    Enrique was far from cr@p, he gave away the odd bad pass but defensively he was always good. And he only got better and better the more games he played.
    You’re being like the fans who said Titus Bramble was useless because he would make on bad error every six games – but forget the other dosens of goal saving tackles he made.

    A few bad mistakes doesn’t make a player crap.

  21. Toonsy @18
    You obviously missed the point.
    What i said was we were linked to numerous players, that are bieng dug up again and dusted , ye kna like tv re-runs.
    Emanuelson etc. gedit !

  24. I didn’t link us with Emanuelson, that was someone else, geddit?

    Your getting confused in your old age.

  25. Again you missed the point, we have been previously linked to both the French defender and Emanuelson, two players who are again being touted as possibilities, due to a lazy bunch of media guys just digging up old news and re selling it, gedit now !

  29. Chuck – I knew what you meant all along, i just wanted you to stroke my ego a bit more ;)

    Whilst I am here, can I carify something with you before something gets out of hand again?

    I have no problem with you, on the other thread I admitted I overreacted by flinging personal insults at you. It was wrong and I was man enough to admit. Shame you can’t do the same.

    Anyway, like I said, I have no problem with you, unlike you seem to have with me. 70% of your posts reference me so that suf=ggests an agenda, of which I am unsire what the motives are.

    If it makes you happy, then crack on. It’s only the internet.

  30. JJ, message 20,

    If Enrique was so good, why was he missing large periods with N’Zogbia playing left back? He wasn’t always injured – he was guff. We better hope he has had a miraculous improvement this season because I do think he is gonna be found out next season. He will be relying on his pace a hell of a lot.

    By the way, I am a supporter of Bramble, so that comparison doesn’t hold water.

  31. wickywoowoo

    You are a supporter of Bramble and Simpson, but Enrique is a ‘guff’ defender. hmmmm…

  32. wickywoowoo

    Sometimes players lose confidence, or take time to settle.
    Could it not just be perhaps, that he wasn’t quite fitting into a team, that had 5 managers telling them to play in five different styles in two years. And supporters booing players.
    Because I don’t think those circumstances are ideal for any player.
    He was also only 21 when he arrived and still developing as a player.

    I think the biggest thing for all our players is that for once in a long time, they will be starting a season on a high with some stablity. And if we take his last 14 months. Enrique has been our best player.

    So if he doesn’t make the grade. Who don’t we have to worry about?

  33. Enrique was overweight and wasn’t played because he simply wasnt fit enough.He was fantastic last season and hopefully will be next.None of us know if any of the players will be good enough next year,all we can do is give our opinion and hope they do ok

  34. Richietoon

    Ye, we as football fans are so quick to write players off arn’t we.
    If we had to judge say Liverpool’s Gerrard on his last six months we’d all be saying he is useless.
    We know is isn’t though, but you still get people saying it looks like he is past his best. Because he had a dip in form. Its ridiculous how harsh we are really.

  35. all of the speculation in the last few years has never came true we will proberly sign someone were there has been no speculation just like in the past years look at guitterz.

  36. wickywoowoo – Enrique was dropped because Allardyce was clueless. He has come up against the likes of Lennon and Ronaldo and more than held his own. He had one or two blips in his first season but that is to be expected for a foreign player adapting to a new culture and style of play. Overall though he has looked good and pushed forward and linked up with Gutierrez extremely well.

  37. Dearie me, I’ve just read that. I shake my head at the opinion that Enrique isn’t a good footballer. Maybe over-elaborates at times but come on man…

  38. ANYONE WHO THINKS ENRIQUE IS A SHITE FOOTBALLER KNOWS SOD ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL.PRAT

  39. Hitmna, Bowburn, Macas – Agree. It’s quite laughable that Enrique is being called shite. One of our consistently better players that took time to settle, strange that.

    Sure he isn’t world class, but he certainly isn’t rubbish.

  41. Jenas?

    Personally I think we already have enough players who can pass the ball square or backwards & we dint need another.

    And he can’t handle the pressure…

  43. Has to be the most unexpected transfer for a long while if he comes back to the goldfish bowl.

  44. Would definitely have O’Hara…could probably get him on loan. He might be a bit rich….

  45. I hope we don’t get Jenas.
    Prefer the money to be spent elsewhere…like on a roulette wheel or champagne.