Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want Newcastle United to panic, I don’t want to see Glenn Roeder running around like a loon tossing £50 notes around without a care in the world.
I don’t want chairman Freddie Shepherd to (further) mortgage St James’s Park so that he can spend the month mindlessly signing cheques for new players from Cameroon, Senegal and Belarus, but I would like to see the Magpies sign the three players they desperately need during the transfer window.
I might be premature (not for the first or last time) but Newcastle’s lack of activity in the transfer market so far has worried me and the potentially disastrous voids in the squad - left back, centre back and centre forward - remain unfilled.
Surely I’m not being pedantic if I suggest that, having known since September 1st where they needed to strengthen, it is reasonable to suggest they should already have had a couple of players lined up and deals close to competition.
If I’m being unfair let me know, but Roeder and Shepherd did not meet to discuss their transfer plans or how much money would be available until late December, just days before the window opened. Of course, you cannot make illegal approaches to players, but were enquiries or offers made over the last four months?
Look, I know Sunderland are in a lower division and not competing in the same ball park at the moment, but they knew what they needed before January - a centre back, a right winger and a striker - and they arranged much of their recruitment before the window opened.
Jonny Evans and Carlos Edwards have already signed and Anthony Stokes looks like he is going to turn down moves to Celtic and Charlton to join the Black Cats. Now Keane only needs to find a right back and he’s sorted.
In contrast, Roeder has made much of keeping his transfer targets secrets, but still news of United’s interest in Peter Crouch and Wes Brown filtered out, only to be met with denials from both that they were interested in leaving Liverpool and Manchester United respectively.
So where now? Darren Bent would be a good singing as he could play alongside either Obafemi Martins or Michael Owen, but Roeder wanted him in the summer and was told he was too expensive. I fear that will still be the case and if it isn’t why on earth wasn’t he signed six months ago?
As for the defence, I’m struggling to come up with names so I do have some sympathy for the Newcastle hierarchy, but then again, they have had plenty of time to track the right players down.
I’m sure other clubs are reluctant to sell in the middle of the season and persuading them too is far easier said than done, but this season rests on Newcastle hierarchy doing just that. You cannot keep expecting kids and reserve team players to keep punching above their weight.
Roeder has heavily suggested recently that he will have to rely on loan signings to bolster his threadbare squad, but given Giuseppe Rossi’s lack of impact and Roeder’s declaration that he will always be more concerned with players who are at the club for the long term, what sort of loan signings are going to want to come to St James’s Park?
Hmm, I’m warming up to this rant now.... and another thing....what calibre of player will be allowed to leave on loan? The top clubs have the best players and they need a big squad because they are challenging in Europe, domestic cups and the Premiership so are highly unlikely to allow anyone to join a domestic rival.
My prediction, one permanent signing and two foreign players arrive on loan, conveniently ignoring the fact the overseas arrivals will need six months to settle into English football!
Any chance?
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