Maiga pursuit not dead yet

Posted on August 23rd, 2011 | 12 Comments |

Maiga remains a target for Newcastle United.
Still in our sights?
Newcastle United’s pursuit of Mobida Maiga continues despite threats of UEFA involvement and an alleged £10m price tag on the player.

There have been many twists and turns with this Mobida Maiga debacle and there’ll probably be few more before it has finished.

Yesterday it was reported that the striker may have ‘faked’ a knee injury to avoid playing in the next game but Maiga and Kevin Anin – another player seeking an exit (to Arsenal) and who was allegedly ‘injured’ – are both now back with the squad. Sochaux coach Mecha Bazdarevic had this to say:

It happens to be bullshit.

Although whether that’s in relation to the players’ actual injury claims, the press reports about those claims or one of Alan Pardew’s speeches is unclear.

Bazdarevic goes on to tell L’Equipe:

We had a very good exchange. They said they were injured, but are now better and that I could count on them.

A separate report says that an offer of €8m (£7m) is on the table but that Sochaux will not listen to anything below €11.5m (£10m), although the suggestion that they’d listen to any offer at all goes against Bazdarevic’s previous insistence that they are simply not for sale. Then again, from our own experiences with Andy Carroll’s transfer to Liverpool we know that every player has their price.

Bazdarevic seems like no nonsense, grouchy sort of guy who I find myself warming to despite him being on the other end of our striker search at the moment. I think he’s just trying to keep Sochaux competitive in front of goal after losing striker Brown Ideye to Dynamo Kiev earlier in the transfer window.

Anyway it seems that – at least according to the French press – our pursuit of Maiga is not yet dead in the water, although personally I think it’s sunk if they try to squeeze £10m out of Ashley for him.

Maybe, in fact, he isn’t worth £10m anyway.

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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12 Responses

  1. I reckon it’s a claim about not one but many of Pardew’s speeches!

    On a more serious note I’m unsure whether we should meet the 10 million valuation for a player who has had one good season for Sochaux. Don’t think Ashley will stretch to that anyway but I can see this one going right to deadline day.

  2. Wishful thinking Hugh.

    Off track a little but I wonder whether the Brown Ideye who went to Kiev’s the same Brown Ideye Girl that Van Morrison wrote about?

  3. I really hope we don’t chase this one down to the wire and then say, once the window closes, “We tried but couldn’t get it over the line”.
    I personally don’t think we’ll pay anywhere near £10 million for a striker and certainly not Maiga – £3-4 million maybe for some unknown or second rate performer so think this ongoing saga may just be a ruse to take us past deadline day.

  4. Long scored a superb goal against Chelski (his 2nd of the season)
    I assume we didn’t get him because he was to pricey and/or not good enough!
    so I presume we are after someone better & cheaper than Long
    well, I can think of many who are better, and 100s who are cheaper – but not both! But I’m not a highly paid manager so my opinion doesn’t count, even if its my club!

    HWTL

  5. can we report NUFC to FIFA under the trades description act?
    how about the European Court for infringing our human rights?
    or (after beating 5under1and again) the RSPCA for cruelty to animals?

    HWTL

  6. anyone know if those two yung french defenders got offered anything, think they played against gateshead in a trial…

  7. my team for scunny:

    ********Soderberg/Harper****

    Raylor***Willo***Saylor***Ferg

    *********Gosling***********

    Vuckic*****Obertan*****Marv

    *******Sammy*****Ba******

    Subs: Abeid, Best, McLoven, Tiptoe, Jonas, Colo – in that order

  8. or:

    ********Soderberg/Harper****

    Raylor***Willo***Saylor***Ferg

    ******Gosling***Tiptoe******

    Vuckic*******************Marv

    ********Obertan*************
    ********************Ba******

  9. Monkeysan never fear cos Pardwho the Trusted is here !

    In the old days when knights and damsels existed, people were often known by their characteristics, occupation or physical attributes.

    Hence Ashley the Rotund, Derek the Weasel and Pardwho the Demented !

    PS New myP2P site is now called http://www.wiziwig.eu/livesports

  10. milner says:

    “anyone know if those two yung french defenders got offered anything, think they played against gateshead in a trial”

    Lee Ryder was asked that question during yesterdays web chat (1-2pm) on Chronicle Live and he said the two were still being considered ?