Chris Hughton - Faces some tough choices.Right, before I get the obligitory comments of “all over the place” regarding the article title, think about the financial situation we currently find ourselves in, regardless of the circumstances behind it.
By that I mean that we know that we won’t be sloshing money that we don’t have around, ala Feddy Shepherd, but after the capture of James Perch and the seemingly imminent arrival of Dan Gosling, it does at least look like Mike Ashley is going to back his manager, a little.
You can also add to that the fact the we are apparently biddong for players from the continent, with strong links to small, pacey forwards like Mevlut Erdinc and Yanick Djalo having surfaced recently. All of these deals are not costing a fortune, but they are adding strength to the squad and kind of loosely fitting in with that now famous statement that Mike Ashley made – It does seem that the team of last season will form the majority of the team for next season. So with that in mind, plus our tight pursestrings, where should be the next focus of our attention? (more…)
Perch is hooked.Well it was breaking news this morning but now it has turned to confirmed news – James Perch has officially signed for Newcastle United.
Perch has moved from Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed fee and signed a 4-yearr contract on Tyneside where he will hopefully become a valuable squad member. It was revealed earlier that a fee had been agreed between the two clubs and that Perch would sign subject to passing a medical.
James Perch had been linked with us back in January which is perhaps something to do with Colin Calderwood who used to be his manager at Nottingham Forest, although according to the news on the official club website, Hughton has been fishing for Perch for sometime now. Speaking to nufc.co.uk, Hughton had this to say; (more…)
Does Hughton have some of these?The question on the lips of a lot of Newcastle fans currently is: Who will be our first signing of the summer? We now know it will be James Perch, but is there a masterstroke to come from Newcastle United?
The goalposts have moved, slightly, from just scraping the bottom of the free transfer barrell to a now more widely recognised notion that we do have at least some money to use in the transfer market. I doubt it will be a lot, and in fact I very much doubt there is a budget as such, more likely a deal will only be sanctioned if it offers good value for the club, well that is my opinion anyway.
But does Chris Hughton have an ace up his sleeve? He has been keeping his cards close to his chest all summer long, and even recently called for privacy on the transfer front whilst he conducts his business. There is none of this drum-banging going on, like say at West Ham, who are spouting off about multi-million pound bids left, right and centre, which has amounted to them doing less business than us throughout the summer. No, no, we amble on quietly, frustratingly quiet, although Hughton has admitted that he is surprised by the calibre of player that has become available, players that he never thought would be available in the first place. (more…)
Hughton - Still confident of signing new players.Chris Hughton has today reiterated his desire to keep Newcastle United’s tranfer activity private, until any deal is ready to be announced.
There is nothing new in that really, and I can understand it to a point, but my god it doesn’t half make things frustrating for fans who are wanting to see some tentative signs of action.
All this comes hot on the heels of some speculation regarding a bid for PSG forward Mevlüt Erdinç, a bid that was subsequently rejected, although Hughton wants to remain tight-lipped about any of his potential transfer activity. I, personally, wanted to see us do our business early and get the required playes in before pre-season to give them the best chance of settling in at Newcastle, but as training starts on Monday and we still haven’t signed anyone, then my preference looks highly unlikely to happen. (more…)
Xisco - Drinking in the last chance saloon?It looks like our Spanish striker Xisco will be returning to training with Newcastle next week, although for how long he remains on Tyneside is a question that is still in need of answering.
The thought was that the club he had been on loan to last season, Racing Santander, would come calling and look to take him off of our hands permanently.
That doesn’t look like it is going to happen, and having scored only three goals in 23 appearances last season, I can perhaps see why they don’t seem to be interested in the former Spanish Under-21 striker. The fate cards have been dealt though, and Xisco will once again be looking to make an impact at Newcastle, and given the apparent lack of money, could it be worth giving him another shot at SJP? (more…)
