Newcastle United transfer rumours and bollox thread 2

Sounds right to me. Read that Liverpool didn't play either Baros or Dudek against against TNS to avoid cup-tieing them. Are there Champions League clubs interested in either?

 

The Times is reporting that NUFC is about to make a £6m bid for Anelka:
Football In Brief

Might be serious. Then again, it was the Times that reported that Kuijt was about to sign...

 

More of the same from the Evening Chronicle: Toon up Nic bid to £6m

 

Interesting bit in a Journal article about James Milner:
My heart is at United

Would love it if Boro bought Boa Morte and sold Downing to NUFC. Magari!

 

It's official: Emre completes Newcastle switch

£3.8m to Inter and £45,000 per week.

Cheaper than I thought.

 

Quite a bargin really, much better than £6 milion and £60,000 per week

 

We have also signed the dutch 'keeper Tim Krul

 

He could be a bargain if he lives up to expectations, but we'll just have to see how well he performs for us.

 

Unless he is Iker Casillas in disguise, I'd say we are set for 2007-08.

Please sign a centerback and a striker (both proven, no projects).

Thx,

Jay!

 

From today's (Guardian) Fiver rumour mill

Forgot about that.

 

Souness was/is a crazy bastard, I wish I could've seen him choking Bellamy.

Next up Nicholas Anelka

 

A lot of interesting stuff today:

Boa Morte

Sky Sports is running an article that claims that the decision to sign or not to sign Luis Boa Morte should come this week: Boa Morte decision soon

And Alan Oliver expressed the opinion that the Boa Morte deal is more likely than the Anelka transfer.

Somewhere I read that Boa Morte also asked Hugo Viana for advice and, get this, Viana recommended that Boa Morte sign with NUFC. But you can't believe everthing that you read.

Nicolas Anelka
Souness sought out Kevin Keegan's advice reguarding Anelka: Keegan backs Toon's Nic bid

With Freddie Shepherd, Graeme Souness, and Kevin Keegan all putting their heads together on this one, how could it possibly go wrong?

[that was sarcasm folks]

Also, there seems to be a big question as to how much Fenerbahce actually paid for Anelka.

• Sky Sports was reporting £7m
• But Oliver (above) reported that it was 7m euros (or £4m), which explains the Souness claim that NUFC could buy him for that amount.
• Elsewhere on Sky Sports I've read that he was sold to Fenerbahce for £5,350,000
• I've also read that Man City still owed money to PSG (something like £5m) when they sold Anelka to Fenerbahce. Might that debt be factor in the curren negotiations? Might the £5m owed to PSG now be Fenerbahce's responsibility? and NUFC will end up paying that debt if they sign Anelka? I'm not sure how these things work, but £7m or £4m is an absurdly low figure considering that Anelka has sold for £23m and £22m in the past.

 

From NUFC.com

Anelka "injury"?

 

like or no?? from goal.com

Stuttgart have confirmed an interest in Newcastle midfielder Hugo Viana.
The Portuguese international spent last season on loan with Sportin Lisbon, but returned to the Magpies as they are looking to sell the 22-year-old.

The German clubs coach Giovanni Trapattoni has confirmed he is interested in Viana, but admits doubts to whether the time is right to make a bid.

"He is a very good and very interesting player," said the Italian. "But maybe it’s not the right time-frame right now."

Stuttgart are looking for a replacement for Alexander Hleb, who joined Arsenal earlier this summer.

 

I don't like it at all.

Viana is worth a lot more than 5 million euros and I think that if he is given a chance to play in the center of the midfield he will excel. The question is whether he is going to get a shot.

Actually there are a lot of questions. A couple of weeks ago I thought he'd definitely get his opportunity, but now I'm not as sure. He'll be competing for time with Emre and Jenas.

• If the club is selling Jenas, then they'll definitely keep Viana.
• If the club doesn't sign Boa Morte, then they may keep Viana and play him or Emre wide left in a 442. Either way, they'd be wasting the talents of one of them.
• If the club is going to play the 433 as they've indicated then I would definitely want to keep Viana. What if Emre is injured? Or flops? Viana could really do well for NUFC if we've got some movement up top: Dyer, Anelka, and Boa Morte.
• If the club ends up playing 442 most of the season (with or without Boa Morte or another left wing), then I think that it would be better for Viana to go.

A move to Germany under Trap could be a great one for Hugo. He's a more than adequate replacement for Hleb; though Stuttgart lost Kuranyi didn't they? Hleb is a really good player, but I'm happy with Emre and Viana tbh.

All that said, 5m euros is nothing. Stuttgart would be robbing NUFC blind for that amount.

 

BBC and others are reporting Fenerbahce are relenting in their 'no matter what the price, we won't sell' stance with Anelka. The asking price? 10 million sterling. Please. If NUFC are gonna spend that much for Anelka, they may as well shell out a little more for Owen, in my opinion, and with much less risk on Souness' part. Either that or attention needs to turn back to cheaper options, like Keane. Granted he's not as highly rated as some others nor should he be, but I don't think he's nearly is useless as most on the board make him out to be.

 

Keane isn't even in the same league as Anelka or Owen.

And don't kid yourself Anelka is easily worth 10m. If NUFC get him for 6m it will be a steal, an absolute steal. And Spurs want 5m for Keane?

Anyway, I don't think that the club has that kind of money (10m) to spend on one player, tbh.

Also,I might add that if NUFC is going to play 433 next season, than Anelka is a better option than Owen.

--------------
This thought just occurred to me.... You know a couple of months ago when Freddie Shepherd said something like "You won't believe the calibre of players who want to come to Newcastle United" and half of the fan base assumed (or, rather, hoped) that he was talking about Owen?

I think he was talking about Anelka. I wouldn't be surprised if Anelka's brothers issued the come and get me plea back in May. That would explain Souness' comment about Anelka being "desperate" to come to Newcastle.

I think the club tried and failed to sign him last January from Manchester City. Would be funny if Souness gets both Anelka and Boa Morte (both eluded him in the winter).

 

Funny ha-ha? Or funny "we just got rid of two outspoken, tempremantal locker room cancers, time to refill that quota"?

Thx,

Jay!

 

Funny, as in strange.

Hadn't heard of Boa Morte being an "outspoken, tempremental locker room cancer".

Are you serious about him, or just being funny?

 

I never claimed he was, but he's surely not the hack most people refer to him as, and would be a better investment at 4 or 5m then Anelka at 10m, even if NUFC had it, imho, and still less risk as I mentioned earlier. Souey is going make or break on Anelka, I think, and should he being him in and Anelka hasn't 'settled' and what-have-you, a lot of people will be unhappy knowing there were options elsewhere to provide equal chemistry at a lower cost, or just flat better chemistry irrespective of 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 or whatever. Plain and simple, sides not named Chelsea can't afford to take a gamble with that kind of money, and that's exactly what Anelka is when you consider his prior off-pitch antics. 6 or even 7m? Sure. 10m? No way.

 

Agree with you entirely I think.

I don't think that the club will pay 10m for Anelka. I think we'll see something like 6-7m and maybe extra money based on performance.

You are right, Anelka is a hell of a gamble. And I think that Souness is right to take the risk. Anelka is that good. He's got the speed to put defenders on their back feet and give our midfield the chance to be creative. We actually have some players who can pass the ball now (Emre, Parker, and Viana), and we need a really quick striker who makes intelligent runs to make it all work. And I don't think that Keane, Viduka, Kuijt, or Shearer, for that matter, can do that for us. [Does Shearer have the speed and mobility for us to play 433? I don't think so]

Keane is a decent enough player, but considering that the club is buying one striker he just isn't what we need.

Toon toon, I think made a comment earlier about signing Ashton and Baros or Ashton and Nihat. I think that either would be a good idea if NUFC were to buy two strikers. But I can't see how buying Baros, Nihat, or Keane would be the answer right now. We'd end up playing Baros and Ameobi, or Keane and Ameobi together for long stretches this next season, and that just wouldn't cut it.

[I'm leaving out Nihat because I'm absolutely ga-ga over him. Would love it if we could pick him up, but he's not that big and I don't think he's strong enough to hold the ball. Also, he needs a lot of space; what would we do against packed defenses? Still, I'd love it if we signed him.]

To me the big risk isn't so much Anelka-Souness as it is Shearer-Souness. What is going to happen if Souness actually decides to sit Shearer when Shearer wants to play?-- Alan Shearer has stated that he knows he won't be playing the minutes this next season, but I'm not sure he's prepared to actually sit out important games. That said, I'd rather see Anelka-Shearer in a 442 than Shearer-Keane, or Shearer-Baros.

 

You mean to tell me that in the whole wide world of football Nicholas Anelka is our only hope at striker And at 10m pounds!!

For 10m we can't get anybody else?? Nobody??

I predict this will be the signing that the pundits and papers will be pointing to when FF gives Souness the sack.

 

Maybe we could make a bit for Drogba?

Chelsea wouldn't sell for 10m much less a price NUFC could afford, and he wouldn't come anyway, but I'd take him.

Saha would be another good option, and cheaper, for what the club is trying to do.

Keane, Saviola, and Baros just aren't right for the part.

 

no?? I think Newcastle could do a lot worse than those three (and, I'm afraid, probably will). And I would love to see Keane side by side with Shearer.

 

Yeah, if NUFC were signing three strikers, signing all three wouldn't be a bad summer. But they're not. They are signing one striker.

Neither Keane or Saviola or Baros would be right for our 433. IMO. Anelka, Saha, McCarthy, or Drogba would be.

You'd love to see Shearer and Keane? Well, how about Ameobi and Keane? You want to risk that possibility?

As far as NUFC doing worse than those three strikers. I agree. I'd definitely take Keane or Baros over Viduka. (Saviola, I just don't know.) But, no one is beating down the door to sign Keane or Saviola. And Baros is attracking the attention of ....West Ham United?