Jermaine Beckford Wants To Come But Will Leeds Let Him?

The fact Beckford wants to come to Tyneside undoubtedly makes things easier, but Leeds will hold out for as long as possible and they will, as is normal with Yorkshire folk, be stubborn to the point of annoying.

Not only do they need to find a replacement for their 20-goal top goalscorer, they will also want to get as many games as they can out of him before they let him fly the nest.

They will also hope that, the longer they drag their heels, the more chance there is of another club coming in for the 26-year-old which will help bump up the price.

They are looking to get close to £2m for their prize asset, an unrealistic sum for a player who is out of contract in June and who can freely negotiate with other clubs without Leeds' permission to arrange that free transfer at the end of the season.

However, it is not beyond the realms of possibility Leeds will attempt to block the deal, even if it means they lose him for nothing at the end of the season and there will be lots of posturing in the media over the next few days.

Nevertheless, I don't think that is very likely they will keep him against his will - they aren't in a position to be turning down transfer deals worth more than one million pounds, particularly as Newcastle will pay all of it up front - and Beckford may well demand they let him leave and ask to be transfer listed. That will turn things ugly and Leeds don't want any distractions as they look to finally haul themselves out of League One.

Whether Beckford will be a good signing remains to be seen. He has scored a lot of goals, but they have come in League One, not the Championship, let alone the Premier League which is where Newcastle are supposedly heading in May.

He did look lively against Manchester United, though, and has scored against the reigning Premier League champions so that bodes well if he does end up at St James' Park.

As for Matthew Kilgallon, the situation is remarkably similar. He would like to join Newcastle, Sheffield United would like to keep him, but know they can't really afford to as he will leave for nothing in the summer.

There is lots of bluff and counter bluff going on at the moment, with various leaks to the media over the weekend regarding the player's intentions, but I still expect him to become a Newcastle player before the end of the month.

Newcastle are going to have to hold their nerve and not be suckered into paying over the odds for either of them. If they are, then the loan market offers an alternative and it would not be disastrous if Marlon Harewood returned until the end of the season would it?

The good news is Geremi is off the wage bill and that relieves some of the financial pressure. Newcastle can easily pay the wages of Beckford, Kilgallon and Danny Simpson with the money they are saving by the Cameroon flop's departure.

He was an excellent player in his day, but those days did not come on Tyneside. His legs had gone when he was at Chelsea and while the brain remained sharp he was a shadow of the player he once was in a black and white shirt.

If Turkish club Ankaragucu want him, that's their look out, but Newcastle should throw a few presents in to thank them for getting him out the door with six months left on his £58,000-a-week contract!

Finally, I can't stand Leeds generally, but I was thrilled to see them beat Manchester United to once again silence all those silly people who say the FA Cup has lost its magic.

Alright, so if you are a fan of one of the Big Four it might have lost a little sparkle, but I can't see Arsenal or Liverpool turning their noses up at it this season given their lack of recent silverware.

As for the rest of the Premier League clubs it is arguably the best competition of all as it is probably the only one they have a realistic chance of winning.

Even at Newcastle, where promotion means everything, there was no going through the motions at Plymouth at the weekend and for every lower league club, the FA Cup is a crucial lifeline, a chance to pay off debts and save for an uncertain future. For some people like me, that's still magic.