Newcastle United Transfer Rumours and General Chat

kinaldo

charlie mchugh wrote: »

I'm sorry, but that's where I stop taking you seriously.

Beye has been awesome for us, not only of late, but all season, when everything else was crumbling around him.

The Geordie faithful, pigeon-holed for liking attacking players, have voted him, a defender, their player of the season. That speaks volumes.

I think PHB may have meant Faye not Beye...

Although Faye has pretty decent for us and is becoming more and more popular amongst our support. I'd certainly keep him as a squad player at least.

5 defenders would be ridiculous.

PHB

Sorry I meant Faye [I'm not sure why I had it in my head he was a defender] Beye has been surprisingly good when i've seen him.

Newcastle have concedded 58 goals this season! That's utterly insane. They need to be aiming for the 35 mark. They need cover if the first choice defenders get injuried.

Do you really think Cacapa Rozehnal or Carr are even good enough for the squad anymore?
That leaves you with Taylor, Beye, Enrique who are even good enough for the squad.

I don't think 5 defenders is that ludicrous at all, especially when Taylor is imo still just a good prospect, and Enrique is still open to much debate.

Charlie

PHB wrote: »

Sorry I meant Faye [I'm not sure why I had it in my head he was a defender] Beye has been surprisingly good when i've seen him.

Newcastle have concedded 58 goals this season! That's utterly insane. They need to be aiming for the 35 mark. They need cover if the first choice defenders get injuried.

Do you really think Cacapa Rozehnal or Carr are even good enough for the squad anymore?
That leaves you with Taylor, Beye, Enrique who are even good enough for the squad.

I don't think 5 defenders is that ludicrous at all, especially when Taylor is imo still just a good prospect, and Enrique is still open to much debate.

Fair enough.

But I do have faith in Taylor, Enrique, Beye. Then you add that experienced defender to the setup. Then you have Faye, Edgar, and that other utility signing I mentioned making up the core backup. I would retain Cacapa and Diatta as reserve backup and young Be Tozer can be called upon, maybe I wld sign one more, but that's 2 maybe 3 defensive signings at most.

Yes we have leaked a ton of goals this season, but I put so much of that down to Fat Sam and the football he had us playing (which not only put all the pressure on the defence, left players like Enrique and Taylor feeling stranded). Once Keegan got his players back to setup the 4-3-3 and, was able to restore some much needed confidence, then we saw what the team, including the defensive unit, was capable of.

The 58 goals conceded is not a fair reflection of that squads ability.

Savman

charlie mchugh wrote: »

- Dunne (Man City's revival should make this a no no, but his contract still hasn't been resolved. Exactly the type of player we need to sign).

Man City to toon would be a step down for Richard Dunne. That's the cold hard truth at this moment in time.

charlie mchugh wrote:

- Lassana Diarra (Been smashing at Pompey, and with the right bid I can't see Pompey turning an offer down. Could be others chasing him though)

The only reason he chose Pompey was due to him demanding first team guarantees. This made MON walk away but hey, if that's how KK rolls then it could very easily happen.

charlie mchugh wrote:

- Bentley (Big stretch here, but Top 4 don't seem interested, so maybe enough $$$ would do it along with KK convincing him Newcastle will be pushing higher than Blackburn in 2 years time).

Cant see that happening, again Blackburn are a stronger outfit at the current moment in time so jumping ship to join a fragile revolution would not make any sense for a player with Bentley's potential. There is nothing to suggest Newcastle "will be pushing higher than Blackburn" or anyone for that matter. You need to book yourself in for a reality checkup. You are just one of ten fairly mediocre mid-table teams with delusions of grandeur.

charlie mchugh wrote:

just making sure KK gets the praise he deserves on account of so many guttersnipes(look back 10-15 pages on this thread) who had their pop upon his appointment have yet to come back for their serving of humble pie.

ROFL! Humble pie? What exactly has been achieved up there in Geordieland or did we all miss something?

PHB wrote:

I think you're generalising too much from this run.

Have to agree here. Noone doubted Keegan, but the manner in which NUFC handled the whole Allardyce thing left a lot to be desired and probably turned a lot of neutrals off yiz.

JPA

Arshavin = arse shaving.
I thank you. :pac:

Charlie

Savman wrote: »

Man City to toon would be a step down for Richard Dunne. That's the cold hard truth at this moment in time.

Possibly, but he has yet to sign that contract and after all KK was the man who helped turn him around from a drunken lout to a focused and reliable CB.

Savman wrote: »

The only reason he chose Pompey was due to him demanding first team guarantees. This made MON walk away but hey, if that's how KK rolls then it could very easily happen.

I'd be happy to guarantee him first team football. He's a quality player who would be deserving of a first team place. If he turns out to be a stinker, i'd bench him, what's he going to do, cry about his supposed guarantee? TBH I think he probably only said that after getting shafted in Arsenal.

Savman wrote: »

Cant see that happening, again Blackburn are a stronger outfit at the current moment in time so jumping ship to join a fragile revolution would not make any sense for a player with Bentley's potential. There is nothing to suggest Newcastle "will be pushing higher than Blackburn" or anyone for that matter. You need to book yourself in for a reality checkup.

No one would have given us a chance of signing Michael Owen. I'm not saying its the most realistic target, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

Savman wrote: »

You are just one of ten fairly mediocre mid-table teams with delusions of grandeur.

You're a Villa fan right? Pot, kettle, black.

Savman wrote: »

ROFL! Humble pie? What exactly has been achieved up there in Geordieland or did we all miss something?

Premiership safety after the mess Sam got us in, and alot quicker than most predicted. Playing the best football the Toon has seen since Robson left. And if nothing else, a sense of optisim. There were ques of people having a go at Keegan when he got the job saying he'd take us down and then walk away.

Savman wrote: »

Have to agree here. Noone doubted Keegan

All you have to do is go back 10 or so pages in this thread and that's exactly what people were doing. The media were throwing some amount of bile his way also.

Savman wrote: »

but the manner in which NUFC handled the whole Allardyce thing left a lot to be desired and probably turned a lot of neutrals off yiz.

You do know Fat Sam was paid in full for the remaining years of his contract? What was so wrong about it? He was taking the club backwards, playing horrible football, and beating the football out of alot of players. He wasn't up to scratch, and was let go because of that,and as I said, given a fat payoff for his troubles.

Savman

charlie mchugh wrote: »

You're a Villa fan right? Pot, kettle, black.

Please do not use the fact that Newcastle are a fairly average side to mudsling. We've been there, done that, got the t-shirt. IN MON's first season in charge, after an initially good start, we went on our worst ever run in the top flight without a win. We just had to bite our tongues. We certainly didn't get carried away after 2 months expecting the entire footballing world to come groveling back lauding us with praise after a couple of ok results.

If you're gonna turn this into an us versus them thing, well there ain't nothing anyone can say that'll make you see the wood from the trees. I'm telling you, from experience, that you are getting way ahead of yourselves. 12th in the table yet you think you can attract players away from teams ahead of you. Hmm...

Charlie

Savman wrote: »

If you're gonna turn this into an us versus them thing, well there ain't nothing anyone can say that'll make you see the wood from the trees. I'm telling you, from experience, that you are getting way ahead of yourselves. 12th in the table yet you think you can attract players away from teams ahead of you. Hmm...

No not a verus thing, but if you're gonna dish it out you have to be prepare to take it as well.

Am I getting way ahead of myself? Do you KNOW what my expectations are?

And for the last time, stop implying that I think we will snap these players up no bother. I have already admitted that they will be tough to get, but there's nothing wrong in trying.

And yes I do thin we can get players ahead of teams higher up than us. Why, money. Now I know that's a bitter pill to swallow, but in this current climate, money talks.

Charlie

Looks like the Chris Mort is ready to tie down Owen long term.

The following is from the Chronicle's website, and offers a reminder why Owen's contract is only being sorted now

NEWCASTLE United chairman Chris Mort has promised fans the club is ready to move quickly to tie two-goal derby hero Michael Owen to a new contract at St James’s Park.

More than a month ago Owen said he would be happy to talk to the United hierarchy about a new contract.

But with the team in a relegation battle until their recent revival, the priority has been ensuring Premier League survival.

With that now achieved, the ball has been put back into the court of the club’s directors.

Chris Mort was delighted by the win over Sunderland thanks to the double from Owen, whose contract runs out in June next year.

He said: “As we have said all along, we are obviously keen for Michael to stay.

“He’s a fabulous player and he showed that again.

“Now we are looking forward to sitting down with his team and working out an agreement for him to stay at Newcastle United.”

There was much speculation on national radio and television about Owen being non-committal over signing a new contract in his post-match interview.

But the striker said in the club programme for yesterday’s game: “My contract is up next year, but I’m very happy here.

“This is probably the most exciting time since I came to Newcastle.

“I couldn’t be happier with the new manager – I’ve enjoyed playing under him – and with the fans.

“Talks haven’t begun, but the manager has pulled me to one side and said he wants me to stay and that the club will be getting in touch with me soon to talk.”

The Chronicle can reveal that Owen did meet Mike Ashley yesterday – when an ecstatic club owner went into the United dressing to congratulate the side after the victory.

And that after he had joined fans in a public house in the shadow of St James’s Park for a pint before the game.

Chris Mort says: “As I have said all along, Mike has been very clear from the outset.

“He wants me to run the club and he wants to enjoy his football on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

“He enjoys supporting the club in every aspect. Lots of fans have a quick beer before a game, and he was no exception yesterday. And after the game he went down to the dressing-room to say well done to the players and Kevin.”

And Mort’s last word on the win? “Obviously, I’m thrilled with the result,” he said.

“To go in at half-time against your biggest rivals 2-0 up was a great experience.”

Great to hear Big Mike makes an effort with the fans, and is showing his pride to the lads. To many clubs in the EPL have driven a big wedge between themselves and the fans.

Limerick Dude

Savman wrote: »

Please do not use the fact that Newcastle are a fairly average side to mudsling. We've been there, done that, got the t-shirt. IN MON's first season in charge, after an initially good start, we went on our worst ever run in the top flight without a win. We just had to bite our tongues. We certainly didn't get carried away after 2 months expecting the entire footballing world to come groveling back lauding us with praise after a couple of ok results.

If you're gonna turn this into an us versus them thing, well there ain't nothing anyone can say that'll make you see the wood from the trees. I'm telling you, from experience, that you are getting way ahead of yourselves. 12th in the table yet you think you can attract players away from teams ahead of you. Hmm...

Sorry Savman but i dont agree with you there, I think we always had the ability to sign good players in the past even if we have finished in a poor position in the league. I hope i dont get ridiculed for thinking that our stadium,fanbase,history, is a thing which attracts players, but i honestly think it is. I cant see any other reason why players come to our club, i know we pay players alot of money in wages but hey, who doesnt these days.

Anyway on a much better note! I got tickets for the last home game of the season against chelsea, cant wait

therecklessone

Limerick Dude wrote: »

I hope i dont get ridiculed for thinking that our stadium,fanbase,history, is a thing which attracts players, but i honestly think it is. I cant see any other reason why players come to our club, i know we pay players alot of money in wages but hey, who doesnt these days.

With all due respect, other than "Wor" Jackie the only thing you were famous for before the arrival of Keegan mk1 was Ronnie Radford...:p

I said a long time ago that Newcastle were playing with fire in wages terms, paying CL wages to players with no reasonable prospect of UEFA Cup qualification, let alone CL. Ashley's timely arrival means that the Toon are now insured against the debt racked up by Sheppard and co before their departure (its not so long ago that Freddie was thanking Chelsea for dropping their transfer fee for Damien Duff so you could afford his wages)

Your initial revival under Keegan put you on the map, but make no bones about it...your salary structure secured a lot of the signatures.

Anyone who thinks Benzema is a possible transfer target for Newcastle needs locking up TBH.

'll also add that Dennis Wise as DOF at Sid James' Park is baffling, if you are going to employ that management structure you need to get somebody in with contacts on the continent, not somebody who has Eric Hall on speed dial!

Anyway, back to more mundane matters. Congrats to Kev and co for the win on Saturday against the old enemy, derby wins are always pleasing and two goals from Owen has to bode well for next season. One concern I heard raised on the commentary, and its something I've wondered about, is with 4-3-3 as the chosen formation you lack width in the midfield and rely on your full backs to push on quite a bit. That will be a problem area for you next season if Keegan persists with the current set up.

You heard it here first.

Charlie

therecklessone wrote: »

I said a long time ago that Newcastle were playing with fire in wages terms, paying CL wages to players with no reasonable prospect of UEFA Cup qualification, let alone CL. Ashley's timely arrival means that the Toon are now insured against the debt racked up by Sheppard and co before their departure (its not so long ago that Freddie was thanking Chelsea for dropping their transfer fee for Damien Duff so you could afford his wages)

Yes, we are very fortunate to have Big Mike, and the previous regime were a disaster, but luckily we have landed on our feet. The point you make though, is this not the trap Tottenham are falling into at the moment. Those running Spurs seem to be chasing the yankee dollar at all costs.

therecklessone wrote: »

Anyone who thinks Benzema is a possible transfer target for Newcastle needs locking up TBH.

I'd imagine others ought to have been locked up when they thought we should take a punt at getting Owen 3 years ago.

therecklessone wrote: »

'll also add that Dennis Wise as DOF at Sid James' Park is baffling, if you are going to employ that management structure you need to get somebody in with contacts on the continent, not somebody who has Eric Hall on speed dial!

Catchy, but deceiving. That's what we have Tony Jiminez and Jeff Vetere for :pac:

therecklessone wrote: »

Anyway, back to more mundane matters. Congrats to Kev and co for the win on Saturday against the old enemy, derby wins are always pleasing and two goals from Owen has to bode well for next season. One concern I heard raised on the commentary, and its something I've wondered about, is with 4-3-3 as the chosen formation you lack width in the midfield and rely on your full backs to push on quite a bit. That will be a problem area for you next season if Keegan persists with the current set up.

Nice to hear good words for Keegan.

Regarding 4-3-3, it has worked well for us, and it will be a great weapon to deploy next season, but it was selected in many ways out of necessity, due to Milner getting injured, Zog in a sulk, and Duffer doing fcuk all.Duff will be shipped out, Milner will be back, Zog is still an option, and hopefully we'll sign a good winger, so 4-4-2 will play a majpor role as well i'd imagine.

I think it will be great to have a number of formations to utilise. Against the big boys we'll need the width, but against smaller teams, who often bog you down, 4-3-3 should do the required job (as it has done recently).

therecklessone

charlie mchugh wrote: »

Yes, we are very fortunate to have Big Mike, and the previous regime were a disaster, but luckily we have landed on our feet. The point you make though, is this not the trap Tottenham are falling into at the moment. Those running Spurs seem to be chasing the yankee dollar at all costs.

That's a nice soundbite, but what exactly are you trying to imply?

Leaving football aside for one moment, Tottenham Hotspur PLC is an incredibly well run business unit, certainly as football teams go. Don't confuse yourself with last summer's transfer activity, the business side of Spurs is a tight ship. Revenues are significantly up (placed 11th in Deloitte's Football money league, though turnover will probably be down next year as that's inflated by the sale of Carrick to Man Yoo) with record kit and sponsorship deals negotiated by ENIC.

charlie mchugh wrote: »

I'd imagine others ought to have been locked up when they thought we should take a punt at getting Owen 3 years ago.

Are you honestly trying to compare the transfers of Owen and potentially Benzema? :eek:

Think about it, LIverpool and Everton were your rivals for Owen's signature...ManYoo, Chelsea, and a hsot of Europe's finest would be interested in Benzema.

You're not getting him.

charlie mchugh wrote: »

Catchy, but deceiving. That's what we have Tony Jiminez and Jeff Vetere for :pac:

Ah, Football's Mr Fixit...I'll give him his dues, he set up the Ramos to Spurs move though between himself and his mate Kelmsley they manage to drag the name of Spurs through the mud and help fcuk up the start of our season. I'd have reservations about any man who has virtually no track record in football (other than being mates a few players), he's no Arnensen or Mijatović. He also reports to Wise (according to the Guardian) along with Vetere, so IMO you're still relying on unproven ability to attract the players you think you need.

Charlie

therecklessone wrote: »

That's a nice soundbite, but what exactly are you trying to imply?

Leaving football aside for one moment, Tottenham Hotspur PLC is an incredibly well run business unit, certainly as football teams go. Don't confuse yourself with last summer's transfer activity, the business side of Spurs is a tight ship. Revenues are significantly up (placed 11th in Deloitte's Football money league, though turnover will probably be down next year as that's inflated by the sale of Carrick to Man Yoo) with record kit and sponsorship deals negotiated by ENIC.

Fair enough, as a Spurs fan you'd be in the know more so than me.

therecklessone wrote: »

Are you honestly trying to compare the transfers of Owen and potentially Benzema? :eek:

Think about it, LIverpool and Everton were your rivals for Owen's signature...ManYoo, Chelsea, and a hsot of Europe's finest would be interested in Benzema.

You're not getting him.

Maybe not quite on the same par, but we still managed to attract a player who most felt was way out of our league. I will openly admit that Benzema would be a massive coup, and unexpected at the least, but the fact that we've got the money, we might as well chance our arm, what's there to lose.

therecklessone wrote: »

Ah, Football's Mr Fixit...I'll give him his dues, he set up the Ramos to Spurs move though between himself and his mate Kelmsley they manage to drag the name of Spurs through the mud and help fcuk up the start of our season. I'd have reservations about any man who has virtually no track record in football (other than being mates a few players), he's no Arnensen or Mijatović. He also reports to Wise (according to the Guardian) along with Vetere, so IMO you're still relying on unproven ability to attract the players you think you need.

Jiminez might not be a footballing man, but often those who pull the strings in the game aren't. I would look at it as a team effort. You have a master persuader in Jiminez, an experienced scout in Vetere, and a footballing man in Wise. Then you also have KK who is a force upon himself when it comes to selling a club to a player. Don't underestimate the combined effect these men may have when it comes to wheeling and dealing.

smog

Anyway this is all speculation... this is who newcastle fans would love to have.
All thats been done here is looking forward, rather then back at the season, to the future with a bit of optimisim.
If they can pull off a major signing great, dont underestimate them pulling off a surprise or two though. Utd are short cash, too many players then places at chelsea etc, anything could happen. Tbh i dont think it will be Benzema and i dont think another striker of that caliber is the main priority. (anyway he has renewed contract with Lyon, Barcelona seem overly eager still to sign him, so i think the pricetag would be better spent elsewhere)

i hope we give a little strength to the squad. Some of last summers signings are coming good and would be happy with a midfielder and defender or two, partticularly CBs.

Charlie

Just saw this on skysports.com

Owen says:

"In a way we want this season to continue because we're on a great run," Owen told the club's official website.

"But if we can take these performances and the confidence we've got about us and add one or two top players then it's going to be exciting times.

"It's the oldest cliché in the book, but we really are all in it together. It's nice to play some good football, to get some confidence and it's nice to get the fans' backing.

"And it's nice to climb up the table. I couldn't have imagined saying a few weeks or months ago there really is a buzz and anticipation for next season."

Now, I could be wrong, and I guess things can do a 180 in football, but that does not seem to be the talk of a man who wants out.

It's great to hear so many of the players speaking with optimism and hunger. A few months back, I think half of them were scared to walk on to the pitch.

On another note, the same article links us heavily with Luka Modric

Meanwhile, Newcastle are being strongly linked with a move for Croatia star Luka Modric.

Modric is one of the most sought-after players in Europe with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Barcelona all credited with an interest in the Dinamo Zagreb schemer.

However, reports suggest Newcastle have stolen a march on their rivals by inviting Modric to Tyneside for talks and a visit to the club's training ground.

Modric is believed to have met with football executive director Dennis Wise and head of player recruitment Tony Jimenez with Newcastle thought to be ready to pay £20million.

Anyone got any opinions on how good a signing he'd make?

Will he be the next Berbatov ............or will he be the next Rebrov :pac:

kinaldo

charlie mchugh wrote: »

On another note, the same article links us heavily with Luka Modric



Anyone got any opinions on how good a signing he'd make?

Will he be the next Berbatov ............or will he be the next Rebrov :pac:

Or the next Maric...

kinaldo

Some guy on Newstalk just spent ten minutes hyping up Modric.

Slaven Bilic quotes taken from nufc.com:

"I would be very happy if Luka finds a new club before Euro 2008. I would want this for all of my players who are looking for new clubs and are at the end of their contracts.

"As for Luka, Newcastle United are no doubt a big club - just behind the top five: "Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton.

"NUFC are in the range of Chelsea, Leeds United and Aston Villa but can invest a lot more money in new signings than let's say Tottenham.

"Also it's more likely that Newcastle will be English champions than Tottenham. Luka wouldn't be making a mistake if he signs for The Magpies."

That won't go down well here...

Charlie

Bilic ya big bleedin earning wearin legend!

Modric seems to have a great technique hitting the ball Reminds me a bit of how Big Al use to rifle them in.

mike65

Which bit did he get wrong?

Mike.

Ekancone

He would be a great signing.

Limerick Dude

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/04/24/sfnnew124.xml

Yup seems we have this one in the bag.

Anytime i saw this guy play he has been class, he's the reason croatia beat england during the qualifiers, class player.

Charlie

Yeah, the more I read and see of him, the more convinced I am he's a good buy.

I guess this is why its good to have dedicated people such as Wise and Jiminez devoting all their energies into sounding out Europe's up and comers.

I don't think we would have signed such a player under Fat Freddy.

Also,I know now who i'll be rooting for in the Euros.

PHB

This would be a great purchase for Newcastle. He's got the ability to get the ball down on the ground and pass it around. That would really add to Newcastle as an attacking threat

PHB:

An attacking midfielder who runs at people (I'm thinking maybe Giles Barnes would be a good bet)
A central midfielder who gets the ball down and passes it, in the Alonso/Carrick mould.

Got one who does a bit of both in Modric

kinaldo

£20m as has been quoted is insane money for someone from the Croatian league. I'm sure it's nothing to Mike Ashley but he could easily turn out to be another Viana or Poborsky. I won't be getting too excited until I see a lot more of him. Sure he probably won't even sign for us. I'll believe it when I see it.

Charlie

kinaldo wrote: »

£20m as has been quoted is insane money for someone from the Croatian league. I'm sure it's nothing to Mike Ashley but he could easily turn out to be another Viana or Poborsky. I won't be getting too excited until I see a lot more of him. Sure he probably won't even sign for us. I'll believe it when I see it.

Tut tut Kinaldo, in Slaven Bilic we trust :pac:

TBH I would imagine the fee is around £12 millon, and rising to £20 based on how well he does. We could get burned with another Viana, but I would be far happier spending a wad of cash on players who look promising and have the best years ahead of them, than on 30+ yr old La Liga players looking to wind down their carear.

kinaldo

charlie mchugh wrote: »

but I would be far happier spending a wad of cash on players who look promising and have the best years ahead of them, than on 30+ yr old La Liga players looking to wind down their carear.

True, but I still maintain Kluivert was an amazing signing...

Charlie

kinaldo wrote: »

True, but I still maintain Kluivert was an amazing signing...

He was free though, so it was never a risk really, at least not financially.

However, throwing 15 odd million at Deco would be ludicrous to me (cue people to start going on how Deco would never join Newcastle inn the first place)

PHB

A. Deco would never join Newcastle, it's just too far North.
B. Deco is still a ****ing fantastic player, and if he could get over his drink problems, I'd be happy to have him at United.

Charlie

PHB wrote: »

B. Deco is still a ****ing fantastic player, and if he could get over his drink problems, I'd be happy to have him at United.

Would you be willing to pay 15 million for the pleasure? (Bearing in mind this is roughly to figure that was spent on the likes of Ronaldo, Anderson and Nani?)

That_Guy

20 million is a lot. It'll be a big risk and if he should sign with us then there'll be a lot of pressure on him to perform well. It's a bit of a risk but hopefully we'll reap the benefits of a big signing.
If he did sign I've no doubt that N'Zogbia would leave the club.

Pepe LeFrits

Modric is the nuts. £12m is a steal and if he does go to Newcastle for that price I'd have to ask: why the hell didn't Grant or Wenger go for him, and why did he choose to go to Newcastle? No disrespect, but the guy is good enough to play for the likes of Barcelona and at his age it looks to be an odd career choice.

Also, I don't see why N'Zogbia would have to leave if Modric was signed. Sure, Modric can and often does play on the left, but his best position is in the centre.

Mr Alan

we've been heavily linked with him too, he was even talking about how he'd be honoured if Liverpool wanted to buy him after our CL game against Arsenal.

i'll be livid if he goes to Newcastle

Charlie

Just heard Henry Winter (of FourFourTwo and The Telegraph) on talksport, one of the sourthern hacks I would actually value, raving about Modric, said it would be the steal of the century if we nabbed him.

Ekancone

Trouble might brew if any of the big teams get ruffled by all this news and move for him.

Charlie

daithifleming wrote: »

Trouble might brew if any of the big teams get ruffled by all this news and move for him.

Very few will be able to out spend Big Mike though. Even the likes of Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal can't afford to pay over the odds for a player. Look at how we signed Owen.

PHB

Would I pay 15 million for Deco? No because we have quality already there. Newcastle don't.

Modric would be some coup, but I won't believe it until I see him in the shirt.

Newcastle have an advantage in that they are actually willing to significantly overpay for players, kinda like Chelsea. United and Pool will have a limit of how far they are willing to go, but Chelsea have always been willing to go over that limit.

smog

So its still on, going to have to act quick if this is to be done now its gone public ...

nufcblog.com wrote:

We have a new article from Zagreb from one of our readers that details the information today in a Zagreb newspaper.

Luka Modric - negotiations still ongoing with Newcastle United
The title of the piece in sportske-novosti.hr/nogomet/ is “Dinamo in new round of negotiations with Newcastle” and it looks like Newcastle are still negotiating with Dinamo Zagreb on the price of the player.
Our initial report had said that Newcastle offered £12M but the club seems to want more money and went public unfortunately for the Magpies. That will only alert the other teams interested in the player, which are said to include Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal.
The Mamic brothers were in Newcastle on Tuesday to negotiate with Newcastle, but a final deal was not struck. However, the newspaper suggests that negotiations with Newcastle are still ongoing and those negotiations did not in fact break down last Tuesday.
The deal wasn’t struck, but the negotiations didn’t fail and the paper today says that it was agreed the two parties will be meeting again when they can finalize the transfer and make the deal final.
We have no clue as to when that next meeting will take place - but since we would love the deal to go through, we hope it happens soon, and we only learn about it when Modric is officially announced as a Newcastle United player.
From what we can learn from the Zagreb news media - that is still a good possibility.

delija_sever029

I didnt saw last few pages if someone mentioned it already but i heard yesterday that Newcastle sent offer to Barca for Henry

smog

Also saw this but i dont think there is anything but rumours behind this.

At least i hope .... we dont need to be signing 30 year olds imo

Ekancone

I reckon Henry would be a waste of money, we need to build for the future, not look for quick fixes.

delija_sever029

Well after that info apeeared some interview with Henry and he said he wont play ever for any other english club except Arsenal if he decide to go back in England,but he have 3 years contract with Barca so he dont even think about moving....bla bla and other things.But coz he have bad relations with Wenger i think coming back to Arsenal will only stay his wish,and i can barely imagine him playing for other english club....i think Arsenal became great club when he left it coz they changed style and henry is the one who lost reputation....

TwoShedsJackson

charlie mchugh wrote: »

Just heard Henry Winter (of FourFourTwo and The Telegraph) on talksport, one of the sourthern hacks I would actually value, raving about Modric, said it would be the steal of the century if we nabbed him.

I've heard the figure of £25 million being mentioned, could be €25 million, either way it's hardly a 'steal'. He is a great player though

event

what is bilic on though?

"As for Luka, Newcastle United are no doubt a big club - just behind the top five: "Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton.

"NUFC are in the range of Chelsea, Leeds United and Aston Villa but can invest a lot more money in new signings than let's say Tottenham

eh, he has the top five with spurs and everton?

and also, he as us (leeds) as in there with chelsea

Seaneh

He means support base wise.

Mr Alan

Keegan on Modric;

Keegan said: "I think if you put a list out of midfield players around Europe who Newcastle could probably attract, someone like Modric would be one of them, so definitely.

"And I would think he's on pretty much everyone's lists."

He added: "If you are looking at a young midfielder player who's got a fantastic future in front of him, then Modric's one of them but then every club in the league, from Arsenal, Man Utd would like Modric."

He joked that he had had fantastic lunches at the training ground this week.

"Modric there with Thierry Henry....Deco has been in for a meal!" joked Keegan.

"Unfortunately that is fantasy football. Back to reality, the only time that I think we will be able to say what we are doing is when we fetch people in.

"It is easy to target people."

Charlie

Mr Alan wrote: »

Keegan on Modric;

Keegan said: "I think if you put a list out of midfield players around Europe who Newcastle could probably attract, someone like Modric would be one of them, so definitely.

"And I would think he's on pretty much everyone's lists."

He added: "If you are looking at a young midfielder player who's got a fantastic future in front of him, then Modric's one of them but then every club in the league, from Arsenal, Man Utd would like Modric."

He joked that he had had fantastic lunches at the training ground this week.

"Modric there with Thierry Henry....Deco has been in for a meal!" joked Keegan.

"Unfortunately that is fantasy football. Back to reality, the only time that I think we will be able to say what we are doing is when we fetch people in.

"It is easy to target people."

Good aul Keegan, always cracking a joke, but gives his opinion nonetheless. At least it seems like he is on the same wavelength as Wise.

TwoShedsJackson

http://tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/lucatothelane260408.html

Ekancone

I can't read that at work, though I presume its about Modric?

EDIT: Ah, balls.

therecklessone

I'd heard this last night but the only media confirmation at the time was from the Sun so was reluctant to say anything.

Fair play to kinaldo who kept his feet on the ground at all times re. the possible transfer, I didn't for one minute think we'd snatch him from under your noses but I did feel he would go elsewhere.