Ranger to Blackpool scuppered, Ameobi seeks future and Leicester favourites for Routledge
Posted on July 12th, 2011 | 10 Comments |
It seems my article from yesterday about Nile Ranger‘s move to Blackpool was a bit premature. The £1.5m that Blackpool offered us was accepted by the club but then Ranger failed to agree personal terms with Blackpool.
A few options still remain though. Ranger could find himself loaned to Blackpool, which was the preference of some of the readers who commented on yesterday’s article anyway, or he could find himself going to Reading in some sort of part-exchange deal for Shane Long, who we’re allegedly very interested in.
Leon Best was originally thought to be the striker who would be offered as part of that deal, so I guess it could be either of them or both of them.
Assuming we are actually after Shane Long that is – it’s still just speculation. Shane Long is said to be valued at £10m, although I think that’s a bit high even considering his 1 in 2 strike rate for last season.
Shola Ameobi also seems to be struggling to get a contract renewal at Newcastle. The player said:
“I want to get it sorted out, but obviously the two parties have to meet somewhere and that hasn’t been the case yet.
“As a player, you want to feel secure. You want to know what’s going to happen for the next few years but I don’t at the moment.
“It’s something I’m trying to get sorted but at the moment I’ve got one year left.”
I suspect something will be agreed. Ameobi is a permanent fixture at Newcastle, about which some law obviously came down the mountain with Moses along with the ten commandments, although with the player now 29 years-old I can’t imagine the club would be keen to offer him too long a contract. Or at least that’s the way it seems given their current contract policies.
Finally, it seems that Wayne Routledge is most likely to go to Leicester City despite interest from Swansea, QPR, West Ham, Birmingham, Cardiff and Nottingham Forest. I might be alone in thinking that Routledge could still be of use to us – even if just as a squad player – although I’ll grant you the midfield at Newcastle is becoming a bit cramped.
Right, well I have to go and see a few men about a few dogs but I’ll be back later (don’t groan).
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.
if Ranger went to Reading he’d end up in jail within 3 months, I imagine. Too close to bad influences of old. Not that he’d be our problem then, of course. That boy has a *lot* of growing up to do, and needs to realise that just because he’s at a Premier League club, he isn’t a premier league player. I can see him dropping down the divisions rapidly unless he wakes up (a la Carl cort)
Still think Long would be an excellent buy, young, hungry, good eye for goal. Pains me to say it, but he reminds me a bit of Ratboy at the scum, who proved it is possible to step up to the Prem and keep scoring.