Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has warned Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United that they will have to pay big, big money if they wish to take powerful midfielder Cheick Tiote from St. James’ Park in the January transfer window.

 

Andre Villas-Boas, Harry Redknapp and Sir Alex Ferguson have been linked with bids for the Ivory Coast international, such is the impression he has made on this season’s Premier League.

 

For Pardew and the Magpies, there is little surprising about Tiote’s brilliance in the engine room – and that is why the former FC Twente man was signed to a six-and-a-half-year contract back in February.

 

Newcastle are therefore in a strong position, but Pardew is aware Tiote could leave if a sky-high bid arrives, as was the case 12 months ago for Andy Carroll, who was sold to Liverpool for £35M.

 

"He’s a big target because he’s a great player and great players are going to be targets", accepted Pardew.

 

"We are always on our guard with Cheick because we realise that to us, he is very, very important and it would be very, very difficult to get him out of here."

 

But a big enough bid, Pardew admits, could change the situation, although Newcastle are in a strong position financially to resist.

 

"You never know with the window. It’s such a minefield of possibilities.

 

"We have one or two players here that top clubs, I’m sure, will be interested in, but the one thing I would say on that is that they are going to have to pay a lot of money to take anybody out of here because we are obviously in a good position, not just on the playing side, but financially as well."

 

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