Does the latest injury to Newcastle United target Erik Pieters scupper any chance of a transfer?
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.” (more…)
Newcastle United look like a team going places – well, at least to Europe – and they’re sure to need to strengthen the squad to cope with it. Cue a string of rumours about alleged interest in various players.
According to The Daily Mirror, Alan Pardew has made ‘discreet enquiries’ about the availability of Gylfi Sigurðsson. So discreet were these enquiries that The Daily Mirror could offer no evidence of them taking place other than their say-so, although we were apparently interested in the Hoffenheim player before his loan move to Swansea so it’s possible that there’s some truth in them.
The 22 year-old, Icelandic midfielder has spent a lot of his professional career in England. He was on Reading’s books from 2008-2010 during which time he was also loaned out to Shrewsbury and Crewe. Then he joined 1899 Hoffenheim in 2010 only to come back to England for his loan spell at Swansea this season. All-in-all, he has 128 first team appearances to his name and 44 goals with his spell at Swansea being particularly good where he’s bagged 7 goals in 15 appearances. (more…)
Newcastle United are allegedly interested in Ajax’s Jan Vertonghen but is he a realistic target given the interest of some fairly big clubs?
According to The Chronicle the latest player of interest to Newcastle is Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen but, personally, I reckon he might be a bit pricey for us.
The 6ft 2.5in, 24 year-old, left-footed Belgian international is estimated to be worth £10m+ and the Dutch press seems to be reporting interest in him from Arsenal and Man Utd rather than us. Furthermore, one article suggests Arsenal’s interest stretches to €18m, which is nearly £15m and, I would suggest, well outside what we’re likely to pay for a player.
If there’s any truth in it though, we’d be after a fairly experienced player with 233 club games and 30 goals to his name, and 36 appearances for Belgium in which he’s scored twice.
His preferred position is as a centre-back but apparently he can play as a defensive midfielder too and pretty much anywhere on the left side. This sort of versatility does seem to be the sort of thing Alan Pardew likes and at 24 he seems to fit the profile of the sort of player we employ these days. (more…)
The Dutch press appears to offer further suggestions that FC Twente’s Douglas is bound for Newcastle United this summer, although perhaps the most pertinent question is whether or not we lose any of our current stars this summer too.
Further to an article I posted last week about Newcastle’s interest in FC Twente’s Douglas Franco Teixeira, the Dutch football magazine ‘Voetbal International’ has said that the 24 year-old central defender is indeed likely to switch to Newcastle this summer.
They suggest that a fee of €5m (£4.12m) has been ‘prepared’, which is about half the figure I mentioned in the previous article (which I got from the ‘Transfermarkt’ site). This makes sense I suppose as he will in fact be out of contract this summer.
According to Voetbal International, Douglas wants to wait until late August to make the switch though. This is because he will then have spent 5 years playing his football in The Netherlands and can become a naturalised Dutchman, thus allowing him to play for The Netherlands’ national team, which is apparently his aim. (more…)
Newcastle United have been linked with two defenders from the Dutch league recently: Douglas and Erik Pieters. But is there anything to subtantiate the rumours?
The Chronicle – and other elements of the press – have been linking us with FC Twente’s Douglas Franco Teixeira recently.
The 6ft 4in 24-year old central defender has apparently told FC Twente boss Steve McClaren that he wants to leave at the end of the season and the Premier League is his destination of choice.
Apparently a ‘source’ at FC Twente said:
“It’s not a case of if Douglas wants to play in the Premier League – it’s simply when. He’s told the manager he wants to go.
“Steve McClaren also has a new defender lined up to replace him in the summer and appreciates that Douglas wants to move on.”
Anyway, on the back of this report I thought I’d do some digging around in the Dutch press to see if I could find some sort of indication that Newcastle is indeed in the running. (more…)