Bale - possible loan target? Apparently Gary Megson wants to take Kevin Nolan back to Bolton, or at least that’s what The Mirror is saying. We paid Bolton £4m for the midfielder in January and his £40k/week wages might be seen as reason enough to let him go in the current phase of cost-cutting at the Toon.
I wasn’t particularly impressed with Nolan’s contributions to the team last season but this season he looks much better, although I admit that’s probably to be expected now that we’re down a league. Nolan has even scored a couple this season, including the winning goal in last night’s 4-3 romp against Huddersfield (for which we have match reports here and here).
It’s not all bad news though because the BBC claimed last night that Gareth Bale could be on his way to Newcastle from Spurs. When we sold them Bassong it was rumoured that one or two loan signings from Spurs were on the cards and this could be one of them.
The Welsh under-21 international made his professional debut for Southampton in 2005-06 and scored 5 goals in 45 games before transferring to Spurs in May 2007. Bale usually plays as either a left back or left winger, so he could be seen as a replacement for either Enrique or Jonas if either should be sold this season. (more…)
All things ToonIn the absence of my esteemed ‘news round-up’ colleague, here’s a briefing of some of today’s newsworthy pieces concerning our dearest club. And a low-key announcement that the ‘news round-up’ is no more (sorry MT).
First and foremost, our old favourite the ‘sale saga’ and as documented by workyticket in amused fashion last night, we’re hearing a little more about Geoff Sheard’s latest involvement. Sheard has now clearly stated that he is only acting as the middle man in the proposed new bid for ownership of the club.
He is allegedly acting on behalf of a multi-billion pound New-York-based company, who are seeking to push through a deal before the end of Big Mike’s self-imposed one-week deadline. The Chronicle suggest the consortium is led by someone with big links in US Sports and that the group will aim to deploy Omnicom Group to rebrand us globally.
Speaking to The Chronicle, Sheard had this to say: (more…)
Uncle Fester meets Collina?North West sports businessman, Geoff Sheard has sensationally entered the race (if you could call it that) to buy Toon. Sheard was also involved in a unsuccessful bid to buy fellow struggling giant, Sheffield Wednesday in 2008.
Newcastle United’s Managing director, Derek Llambias gave some substance to the reports when he confirmed that Sheard is in contact with Seymour Pearce’s Keith Harris, who is brokering the sale. Llambias said:
“Geoff is dealing with Keith Harris and we are still waiting for proof of funds.”
However, the Sheffield bid was a long drawn out affair with no satisfactory conclusion, and it emerged that Sheard for merely a figurehead for other, secret interests, and was putting no money of his own into the bid. Darryl Keys, then chairman of ‘Wednesdayite’, a Sheff Wed fans group with a 10% share of the club said at the time (in terms eerily familiar to Newcastle supporters at present):
“The club can’t stay in limbo forever. We’ve had lots of assurances but no clarity or verifiable evidence that he can conclude the deal.(more…)
The bank that might like to say noMuch speculation has ensued after yesterday’s announcement that the club is giving Barry Moat more time to negotiate an overdraft facility with Barclays Bank.
Our favourite mackem Louise Taylor demonstrates surprising knowledge of the club’s confidential banking details, which form the crux of her latest article in The Guardian.
According to Ms Taylor and her inevitable ‘sources’, we have a £40m overdraft facility, on which we currently owe £20m. On Tuesday Barclays were planning to renew that facility but with only a £10m limit, which is in line with what they usually allow for Championship clubs.
Apparently Ashley has the funds to cover the £10m shortfall but – The Guardian claims – Moat does not and if he can’t persuade Barclays to break with their Championship-lending policies and allow him to have a £20m overdraft, then his takeover effort will fail. (more…)
Spain beckons perhapsJose Enrique could be the next big name to leave Newcastle United according to The Mirror.
Apparently Atletico Madrid are hoping to table a £3m million bid for the defender we signed from Villarreal two years ago for £6.3m.
Enrique has also apparently piqued the interest of Real Zaragosa but only as part of a loan deal. This may not suit Newcastle at the moment because the temporary wage cuts associated with loan deals might not stack up in a long-term cost-cutting exercise.
I’m not sure exactly what wage Enrique gets but I would imagine it’s in the £50,000/week area, which would fit the profile of the sort of player we’re looking to offload. Left backs, however, always seem to be difficult to recruit so the loss of Enrique could leave us very exposed in that area.
It would be doubly annoying given how well Enrique and Jonas seem to be working together on the left for Newcastle at the moment. (more…)
