Is Toon interest in Pieters now finished?
Posted on May 10th, 2012 | 164 Comments |
23 year-old PSV left back Erik Pieters has been an alleged target for Newcastle United for quite some time now. Last summer we reportedly offered PSV €7m for the player and PSV went so far as to say the offer was ‘good’ in terms of amount but they withdrew from negotiations when they couldn’t be sure of getting a replacement for him before the transfer window closed.
The idea that we might still sign him has been bubbling under ever since and back in April The Mirror reported that it was pretty much a ‘done deal’.
If you remember, Pieters suffered a foot injury back in October which kept him out of action for four months, and he suffered another foot injury last month the puts him out for the rest of the season and scuppers his chances of playing for The Netherlands in Euro 2012. The first injury was a broken metatarsal and the second injury is a hairline fracture, but I can’t find anything to say whether the injuries are related or even if they’re to the same foot.
Back in mid-April Pieters still hoped to be fit for Euro 2012 when he said:
“It is very disappointing news. I will strictly adhere to the medical team’s rehabilitation programme. The gravity of the injury will be known in three weeks. I will give 200 per cent to get back to match fitness.“
But on Monday the Netherlands’ equivalent of the FA confirmed he would not be fit for the Euros and Netherlands manager Bert Van Marwijk said:
“Pieters’ metatarsal injury has not healed in time. It is unclear how long he will be out for and what the next course of treatment and medical prognosis is. This is a real setback for us, but for Erik himself it’s obviously the hardest blow.”
Up until the injury, press reports seemed to suggest that Pieters himself was keen on a move to Newcastle but yesterday he seemed to indicate that a transfer is the last thing on his mind. Pieters said:
“I did not expect that it would be broken again.
“You know there comes a European tournament, you play all the qualifiers, you want a whole season with PSV play for the championship … and you become injured in October.
“So you get better and then in your mind that you think you can finish the season with PSV and then have a European Championship. And it sucks that a few weeks before the end of the season happens again.
“I’m going to get my head empty, then operate and then focus 100 percent on my recovery. I think it’ll take four months.”
In terms of getting his head empty, he might like to try supporting Sunderland for a spell as I’m sure that would help. Anyway, when Pieters was asked about his hopes for a transfer to Newcastle he said:
“That really does not interest me. I’ll see again when I am fit.”
If Pieters is going to be out for 4 months that would take us to mid-September, so in the event of any transfer he’d miss at least a month of games. But I suppose we’d also have to wonder if this is a recurring injury as that could be a concern. As I said, I have no idea if his two foot injuries are related but it would be a very unlucky coincidence if they’re not.
I’m not sure what the implications of this are but I’d be very surprised if he’s still a transfer target for us this summer.
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.
Some players are unlucky when it comes to injuries and get labelled “injury prone” – I’m just beginning to wonder if Pieters is one of these and that perhaps there are better options out there?
One thing’s for sure – Graham Carr will know!!