John Welsh
Amid the frenzy of rumours and counter-rumour on the final day of the summer transfer window, one undisputed fact remained. Newcastle United have still not bought a replacement for Andy Carroll. Despite promises to invest the proceeds of their £35M January sale of the striker to Liverpool in a replacement, the Magpies came up short. Months of speculation and failed bids were the order of the day, without a new incumbent for the number 9 shirt.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew faced the wrath of supporters in January following the controversial sale of Carroll on the final day of the winter window. The forward exited St. James’ Park so late that there was no time to sign an adequate replacement. Pardew placated the fans by confirming owner Mike Ashley and chairman Derek Llambias had plans to use the influx of funds for team-building purposes. Sceptics awaited the results.
Just months down the line there were ominous rumblings within the squad of unease in the dressing room. Negotiations on contract extensions for Newcastle’s more established players were proving inconclusive and disparaging remarks from fans gathered pace.
When the transfer window opened in June, Pardew declared that a defined list of targets had been assembled with the assistance of chief scout Graham Carr, following months of groundwork in Europe. At the top of the list was respected Lille midfielder Yohan Cabaye and Lorient striker Kevin Gamiero. The Brazilian-born Lille forward Gervinho was also identified as a potential signing should Gamiero fail to land on Tyneside.
Cabaye duly arrived for £4M, swiftly followed by the free transfer capture of West Ham striker Demba Ba. There was also the surprise signing of French winger Sylvain Marveaux, offered to Newcastle after the breakdown of his proposed move to Liverpool.
All seemed to be running smoothly for Pardew and supporters were becoming increasingly optimistic about Newcastle playing a serious part in the transfer market. The former Charlton manager looked to be making good on his promise of a more energetic, quicker and youthful team.
But then the cracks started to appear.
Gamiero opted to remain in Ligue 1, signing for newly-rich Paris Saint-Germain, while Gervinho was Arsenal bound. At Newcastle, both midfielder Joey Barton and left back Jose Enrique questioned the ambition of the owner and chairman, and a disenchanted captain Kevin Nolan left to join up with his old boss Sam Allardyce at West Ham.
Enrique eventually signed for Liverpool in a £6M deal, and following his much publicised comments on Newcastle’s transfer policy through Twitter, Barton was dispatched to Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer after he took to the social networking site to slam the Magpies’ hierarchy. Wayne Routledge also exited, being sold to Swansea for £2M.
French winger Gabriel Obertan did arrive from Manchester United for £3M to replace Routledge, but Pardew was facing a stiff task in finding a left back and a striker from a diminishing list of targets. The persistent injury problems of another wide man, Hatem Ben Arfa, also continue to cause concern. The Newcastle manager had hoped to use the former Marseille player in an advanced midfield role, but after succumbing to ankle ligament damage on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States, his fragility is becoming worrying for the club.
Approaching deadline day with an urgent need for reinforcements, Pardew repeatedly stressed that both Ashley and Llambias were aware of the situation and shared his frustration.
Protracted negotiations for left back Erik Pieters of PSV Eindhoven collapsed, but Italian Davide Santon was persuaded to sign for £5M. Santon, aged 20, has not been a regular at Serie A giants Inter and was loaned to Cesena last season, but declared his enthusiasm to fight for honours at St. James’ Park.
A striker was now the overriding priority. Worryingly for Newcastle though, Paris Saint-Germain forward Mevlut Erding, now a primary target, expressed his desire to stay in France and bids for Sochaux’s Modibo Maiga and Freiburg’s Papiss Cisse failed to make progress.
And so, as the clock ticked towards the slamming shut of the transfer window, Newcastle were linked with host of strikers from across Europe. The names of Andre-Pierre Gignac (Marseille), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke) were all mentioned, as were the potential loan signings of Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea) and Federico Macheda (Manchester United).
An attempt to hijack Fulham’s signing of FC Twente forward Bryan Ruiz also failed, although conflicting theories persist as to reasons for Ruiz rejecting Newcastle. Doubts have even been raised as to the credibility of the bid, given that the goalscoring exploits of Ruiz must have appeared on Newcastle’s radar when Cheick Tiote was signed from the Dutch club last season. Some supporters soon cynically suggested that the move was a mere publicity stunt.
There was also an unsubstantiated claim that Fulham hitman Bobby Zamora had been seen boarding a Newcastle-bound train, only to alight at York on route to the National Railway Museum.
Respected local journalists were finally told at approximately 11.00pm that Newcastle’s business in the transfer window had been concluded. No new striker would be arriving, and comments left on social networking sites quickly turned more venomous towards Ashley and Pardew.
Indeed, the former West Ham manager now finds himself in a tricky position as he waits until January to add further firepower to his squad, and in the meantime must account for his protracted failure to buy a prolific striker. Some Newcastle supporters have always suspected the 50-year-old to be too eager to pander to Ashley and challenge his perceived reluctance to loosen the purse strings. The window was Pardew’s chance to rebuke the doubters.
Maybe he still can. The team has made a solid start to the season, even beating local rivals Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light. Some of the more experienced, vocal members of the squad, have been replaced by younger players from various backgrounds, and Cabaye in particular is proving his worth. Newcastle are becoming a difficult team to beat.
But what of the striking options. The enigmatic Shola Ameobi remains as inconsistent as ever, Leon Best does show glimpses of goalscoring form, but Demba Ba has yet to convince the fans, although his commendable observance of Ramadan during August may have impaired his form. Pardew can also call upon Peter Lovenkrands and Nile Ranger, both of whom were expected to leave this summer.
There is little evidence to suggest any of these strikers will score 20 goals a season, and such a player was craved by the Magpies’ faithful. Pardew may well argue that there is little benefit in wasting money on unsuitable players, a charge which he can level at previous Newcastle managers; he will have support for this approach. However, the failure to purchase a natural goalscorer has put Ashley under the microscope and further damaged Pardew’s reputation in Newcastle.
Had there been a home match this weekend, Ashley, Llambias and Pardew may have encountered a very negative response from a disgruntled fan base. There was a realistic threat of protests and even boycotts.
Newcastle’s next home match is in late September when Blackburn Rovers are the visitors; this may well buy Pardew enough time to appease his growing number of critics.
