Ben Tozer allegedly leaving on a free for Northampton

Posted on June 23rd, 2011 | 10 Comments |

Ben Tozer quitting Newcastle United.
Destination Northampton?
Ben Tozer and Newcastle United agree terms to cancel the player’s contract and allow him to leave on a free transfer.

Apparently Ben Tozer is quitting Newcastle in favour of Northampton. Or at least that’s what Sky Sports are suggesting.

The 21 year old defender started out as a youth player at Plymouth Argyle, which is his home town, and then he transferred to Swindon Town in 2007.

Newcastle signed him from Swindon in 2008 on a four and a half year deal after he was touted as one of the most promising young defenders in the country.

Alas he only played one cup game and three minutes of a league game for us and was loaned out to Northampton for most of last season where he made 31 appearances and scored 3 goals.

Given his struggle to get into the Newcastle first team, he would allegedly prefer to transfer to a club where he’ll get regular football and League 2’s Northampton are in the frame as the most likely club to take him.

It seems that Tozer and Newcastle United have come to an agreement to allow him to cancel his contract and thusly leave on a free.

I wish him well for the future.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

10 Responses

  1. I’d be happy to see him go on a free IF there was something in the contract that meant we had first option of buy back at a low price in the future if he ever fulfills his early potential.

  3. i wish the lad luck…..we only have a few defenders left!that means the young lads will come through!!!
    hope collo stays though he would make a great leader!!

  4. We bought the wrong player wen we got tozer. Whoever he was playing centre half with was the one we wanted. The scout at the time got their names mixed up…..

  5. I’ve worked with him at Northampton. He is a good lad but never going to be premiership quality!! Heard he may be playing centre mid for Northampton also.

  6. Exiled Arsenal fan here, having moved to Northampton a few years ago. As a consequece, find myself at most of the NTFC’s home games. Tozer, as with all the centre backs at the club, is rather inconsistent. When the new manager took over he was completely out of favour and only returned for a few games at the end of the season. I was a little surprised, in fact, that they wanted to keep him on. What may have been his saving grace was that, as someone else astutely pointed out, he was given a role in central midfield rather than defence. Northampton don’t, as yet, have someone that stands out as first choice holding midfielder – it may be that Tozer is being considered for this role, whilst providing centre back cover (he certainly didn’t seem to be in the managers plans as a centre back last season).

    Centre backs in midfield? Hmmm, I’m not sure I’ve ever recovered from watching Martin Keown in that role for one season at Arsenal!

  8. He’s only 21 for fcks sake how anyone say he is rubbish if he has had no games to speak of. Having said that you can’t keep every young player on the chance they might become EPL standard, perhaps a loan spell might be a better option.

  10. It’s disappointing, but if he is inconsistent at League 2 level then their isn’t much hope, is there? Centre back is all about concentration and consistency. Some centre backs mature a bit later so he may have some time to get it together, but for us it may be best to part ways and wish him well. Having read the link @7 it seems he was probably a long shot to begin with.