Colo and Harper wanted elsewhere?

Posted on October 24th, 2011 | 28 Comments |

Colocinni and Harper transfer speculation.
In demand?
Newcastle United captain Fabricio Coloccini is allegedly on Liverpool’s Christmas shopping list whilst Steve Harper might be off for a spell at Brighton.

Shockingly, it’s only 10 weeks until Christmas, which for a humbug like me is a disturbing thought. And shortly after that it’s the January sales, although in this case I’m talking about the transfer window rather than the mad squeeze to get into Harrods (where I’m sure all Toon supporters shop) for a cut-price pair of socks.

If reports in the weekend press are anything to go by, Liverpool intend to do some shopping at St James’ Park by way of Fabricio Coloccini. Apparently Kenny Dalglish is keeping a close eye on Colo’s contract situation and is ready to make a reported £12m bid for the player if Colo has not signed with Newcastle before the end of the window.

After they’ve recently taken Carroll and Enrique from us, you could be forgiven for thinking they see us as some sort of feeder club for them, but in this case I say enough is enough and they can keep their grubby mitts off our captain.

For what it’s worth, I tend to think Colo would like to sign a longer contract with us, although I’m not so sure how the salary situation stacks up. He must be our highest paid player now and I’m not sure how that fits in with Ashley’s general aim to reduce salaries all round. Anyway, I hope it’s sorted out before the transfer window opens in January and we only have incoming players to worry about.

Another player who may reportedly be on the move is Steve Harper.

The Sun carried a report on the weekend suggesting that Brighton are interested in taking Harper on loan to provide some experience to challenge their current number 1 keeper Casper Ankergren. Brighton currently sit in the middle of the Championship and they are reportedly looking to take Harper on a 1 month loan.

I’m thinking that a short loan like that might be beneficial to Newcastle, Brighton and Harper. From our point of view it seems that the keeper’s job belongs well and truly to Tim Krul at the moment, so if Harper can get some game time at Brighton it could keep him fresh and ready in case Krul gets crocked in any way, although there’s always the worry that the loan period could be extended.

I say ‘worry’ because I think Harper’s still got a lot of offer. He’s 36, but that’s tolerable in keepers and he never really did anything wrong as such, he merely lost his place by getting an injury at the wrong time. My suspicion, though, would be that a loan period to Brighton would be a precursor to his eventual move away from Tyneside. That would leave us with Robbie Elliot as the backup for Tim Krul and he’s largely untested at this level.

Both these snippets of transfer speculation are mere press rumours at the moment, so maybe nothing will come of either of them.

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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28 Responses

  1. With mike Williamson on the bench I think Colo will go. Why have a decent defender like mike sat gathering dust when you can play him and get 12 million in the process. Not what I would say ideal as Colo is our main man. Player of the season without a doubt player of the last two seasons. But this is the answer to ashleys prayers. He wants to reduce wages and Colo will be the last man on high wages. In our first team anyway. So if Colo goes to Liverpool then that’s problem solved. If we are lucky knowing mike we will hold on for 15 mill.

    And that’s not bad for a 30 year old.
    We could buy peters who can play in the centre and the Marseille left back we were after in the summer.

    So although I realy would hate to see him go with the mentality of the board I think he will go. But I think they have learnt from lessons and will probably be doing deals right now for replacements.

    If we can get 4 in for every one we sell that’s not bad business but if we sell Colo is expect two at least.

    But either way at 30 can you see mike holding onto him? Even with another 4 – 6 good years ahead? History might tell us no. My heart would love it if it was a no. But somehow I don’t think mike will turn this offer down.

  2. Willo isnt half the player Colo is , he wont go , cant understand why you are saying this ^^

  3. I just object to LFC buying up our players! Its laughable these were championship players 2 years ago. Consisting of players deemed not good enough and nufc to go down.

    Yes Carroll and enrique have gone, Carroll for a hell of a lot of money, and clearly not playing like he did for us and enrique wanted away. I hope Colo gets a new contract so lfc are out of luck for a 3rd player. Colo is a good player and our captain lets hope we hold on to him. Will nufc start each new season with a different squad as we have sold our best players on in the transfer window every year? Or it shows we cant hold on to players that are desired by other clubs.

  4. for past 3 seasons we have sold or let go of club captains.

    1 – Owen
    2 – butt
    3 – nolan

    i hope collo stays, but what do i know

  5. Harper – Loan is a great ideal. Maybe he should a the ‘can be recalled’ clause in the deal.

    Colo – £10-12 million is my price for him, considering his age. If he signs a new deal with us, around the same wages he is on now, then I think he’ll stay until retirement and put end to that. However, if he cannot get the deal he wants then as long as we got GOOD money for him, then I will not be too upset.

    Would defo miss him tho, but beleive we would get a good a good young replacement in anyway.

  6. Whenever a players contract is up for renewal you can bet your bottom dollar (or pound in this case) that there will be a story about another club interested in buying him.

    Pardew is a fairly astute manager and he will know the positive influence Colo has on the team and especially on the defence which is one of the principal reasons why we are in the lofty position today and therefore I doubt he will be sold.

    The recent club mission statement made the point that there is no age cut-off point in so far as they are prepared to pay for ‘older’ players of quality and character.

  7. If Liverpool want Collo for £12+ then fair enough – the great Cloughie used to say that it’s not knowing when to buy that counts, it’s knowing when to sell!
    Collo will probably peak this season, thereafter he will be in decline, 30+ and on big wages = our old problem.
    If he want’s to stay he will be only offered a short extension which (like asbo & Nolan) he will probably decline.
    With that type of money we can invest in Pieters & Espnayol’s Javi Marquez – suits me.

    HWTL

  8. Thinking again of 4-4-2.
    There is some disagreement over Wigan’s line up but to me they seemed to allways have more bodies in midfield than we did, which is why we had problems. They had in effect a 4-5-1 shape most of the game which trumphed our 4 man midfield.
    Then in that incredible manure match citeh played 4-5-1 away and ran rings around fegies misfield.
    The message is if Pardew goes to manure then citeh and plays 4-4-2 away I fear we will be swamped & slaughtered!

    If we get beat in both it will be no disgrace – if we put on a good show we could win a lot of friends.

    HBS should start & Obertan needs to be replaced by Marveaux. Playing at his old club who know his weakness inside out would be a gift to fergie – they will let him run around all afternoon trying to impress while wasteing precious possession.

    HWTL

  9. Shola out for 4 – 6 weeks ! There wasme thinking we can beat City United and Chelsea and be top bychrimbo, but nah Shola had to let us down… Think we willhave to re-evaluate our ambition now lads and just have to settle for 4th in the league this year.

    On a serious note I’d like to only see a few changes for the cup game midweek. Looking ahead to Stoke I think that is the hardest game for us so far this season, would be happy with one point and staying unbeaten.

  10. this is why i would never have gave him another contract,he’s always injured.
    he’s only just come back from another knock.

  11. Liverpool remind me of spurs a few seasons ago chasing toon players and potential transfers.

    #Kernts

  12. Liverpool appear to have lost the plot – now they want to give us back Carroll and take Collo! Is Dalgleish playing chewing gum cards swaps?

  13. Shola scores his goal then out for a month. Is there one single NUFC fan out there who is even mildly suprised?

  14. Blacburn – bottom, won 1 conceeded 20.
    Will they “rest” their players for the cup – or do a Birmingham/Boro & go for a glorious double of cup & relegation?

  15. Steve Harper has signed his loan deal – good luck mate.

    That’s 2 keepers out on loan – funny old game.

  16. Supermac says:
    October 24, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    “Liverpool appear to have lost the plot – now they want to give us back Carroll and take Collo!”

    That story was so ridiculous it was quite funny supermac. The evidence offered was “There is a rumour in Scouseland” and that was it! It then went on to say:

    “The tough part will be to get Mike Ashley to part with £25m in a cut-price deal that would see Carroll return to his roots and the two defenders move to Anfield.”

    So that’s Fabricio Coloccini, Ryan Taylor + £25 million in in return they give us Carroll back because he’s been a flop so far at Anfield. :lol:

  17. Wouldn’t take AC back now…but hey it’s not my decision.
    I think the steady ship will be rocked again though by Mike Ashley though-fookin prick.

  18. “although I’m not so sure how the salary situation stacks up. He must be our highest paid player now”

    On roughly around £80,000 per week, he’s been our highest paid player since Michael Owen left.

  19. sirjasontoon says:
    October 24, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    “Wouldn’t take AC back now”

    Not even for a bargain £25 million + Coloccini and Ryan Taylor SJT? You must be insane.

    What other strikers could we get for a such a small sum?

  20. I think AC should stay where he is and suffer the self inflicted consequences.
    The gear must be much stronger on merseyside cos he looks like a ketamine induced donkey these days……. :lol:

    Maybe Nolan can get Fat Sam to take him on loan to the hammers haha

  21. “That story was so ridiculous it was quite funny supermac” of course, so – has Dalgleish lost the plot?
    Does he manage a PL club or a fantasy league club?

    Bye the way, I think in Dalgleish’s days with us Shola was a promising young academy lad – we should send him a video of last week’s goal and tell him that the youngster has now matured and is available and would make a superb Carroll replacement!

  22. “Newcastle United: We can only beat who is put in front of us” – two seasons ago we were in the campionship – and beat them all! 100+ points and won the oldest league trophy in the world. On reflection, I enjoyed that season, it was fun, scored lots of goals.
    So, let’s do our job again, play who, when & where we are asked to play without worrying about other games – and allways do our best with pride in our club!

    HWTL

  23. so can i ask a question???????

    now liverpool know we are laughing our tits off after selling a player for £25 million more than he is worth.

    they want to sell him back to us in a deal that would see two players worth just as much as he is worth individually and expect us to pay another £25 millions on top!!!!!!!!

    are they for real????

    Andy Carroll plus £25million then i would consider it.

    no offence liverpool but if you go to a shop and pay over the odds for an item and then see a cheaper and better deal else where, six months later you cant take the product back and expect to get back 90% of your cash back and expect to collect two display items worth just as much in with the deal.

    if you pay over the odds its tough shit.

    Andy Carroll is worth £10 million no more. there is a list of prem players who are just as good and worth a damn site less than £10 million.

    why don’t we just offer a straight swap Ryan Taylor for Andy Carrol so we can laugh our tits off even more so.

    but Dogleesh we consider your apology for stripping our team of so much talent and bringing in old chums to replace the much more talented players you sold. so on behalf of all the fans who loved to watch, Paul Kitson, Lee Clark, Robbie Elliott, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Peter Beardsley, Tino Asprilla, John Beresford, Shaka Hislop, Pavel Srnicek. we thank you and we will enjoy every penny of the £25 million you over paid for the goods you purchased in the club shop.

    What A F*****G Muppet.

    and james C @ 3 “collo isn’t half the player willo is”

    Willo is still a very talented player he kept Saylor out for nearly a season. in my opinion i think he would do just as good a job as collo. but yes collo is better than willo but that doesn’t mean he wont be just as good in his own way. willo would learn just like collo had to. collo was ok for the first season he was here but now he is F*****g fantastic. that is down to collo himself and the coaching team, lets hope if collo does go they can do just the same to Willo and improve his confidence and skill and create a multi million pound player we can sell to liverpool next year for three times the price.

    i don’t want to see him go, but the club mentality is to churn out players and rake in cash. and it has worked up to now so i get the feeling collo will go.

    the board doesn’t like to be held to ransom and if collo asks for a penny more than he is offered he will be in the helicopter quicker than you can say bob the builder and his red techno colour scouse coat.

  24. Supermac says:
    October 24, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    “That story was so ridiculous it was quite funny supermac” of course, so – has Dalgleish lost the plot?”

    Supermac, while it may be true that Liverpool lost the plot for paying £35 million for Carroll in the first place, that story about £25 million + Colo + R.Taylor is complete tosh, and I’m pretty sure that it will be news to Dalglish.

    As I wrote earlier, the only thing they used to back it up was “Scouse rumours” and that was it!

  25. 12 mill good money? Tell me the probability that it will be re-invested into the club before I tell u if its gd money. As I rather have collo playing day in day out as he is and always have been rock solid, worth every single penny of the 80k wage he’s on. As for liverpool, we cld sell them an allegro for the price of a bentley.