Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has told the Evening Chronicle that the Magpies will meet with representatives of Jose Enrique to discuss a new contract next week:
“We have been waiting to see his representatives; they are due here in the early part of next week. We are going to make Jose a very, very good offer and we are hoping he is going to accept it. We are realistic about Jose, because the ball is in his court on that one, not in ours. He will be offered a fantastic contract here, he knows that, but still it is going to be down to his decision. I am still hopeful.”
Of course, if nothing comes out of the talks, it will be inevitable that speculation will grow over Enrique departing from St James’ Park. The Spaniard will only have a year left remaining on his contract and Newcastle may look to cash in before he leaves for nothing next summer.
According to Guillem Balague on talkSPORT yesterday, the Reds are definitely interested in Enrique but they are still unconvinced about the 25 year old’s defensive capabilities. There is no doubt that the Spaniard has a great deal of promise going forward. He has a great deal of pace, good ball control and is very able at crossing the ball. Even just last week however, in the last match of the season against West Brom, he failed to mark Somen Tchoyi for the third West Brom goal to complete the Baggies comeback from 3-0 down.
It could be the case that Enrique’s form has dipped as doubts creep into his mind about his future at Newcastle, but there can be no doubt that statistically the Newcastle defence had a pretty poor campaign, conceding 57 goals.
Still, unlike many other left backs out there at the moment, Enrique could be available reasonably cheaply considering his contract situation. Newcastle are said to be demanding £15million but there is no way that any club will be offering that amount. An offer between £4m and £8m is more likely to be on the cards.
There are certainly better left backs out there but many of the options available are either overpriced or not experienced enough to play in the Premier League. Fabio Coentrao is valued at €30m, Lyon’s Aly Cissokho around €20m, while Emilio Izaguirre is rated £10m+ by his club Celtic despite not yet proving himself in a big European league. Other options such as Leighton Baines and Gael Clichy really depend on the circumstances at their clubs.
To summarise then, despite watching the player a fair few times, I am still unconvinced about Enrique, but on the other hand, relative to other full backs currently on the market, he could be the best value for money. What do you think?
Written by David Tully for Live4Liverpool.com.
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We bought Enrique for £6 million and he has grown a lot as a player since then. There is no way we will let him go for less than that and Ashley will want a tidy profit on him. £10 million+ would probaly be acceptable if he doesnt accept his new contract offer.
Aye Enrique’s dump mate – can’t defend to save his life! I would steer clear of him aswell as Colocinni – been awful for a couple of seasons! Forget about Tiote too – total liability! You’re better off without him!
I’m sorry but your not getting him for anything less than 15 million. He has been our player of the season in my opinion, and would be a massive loss to the toon if you got your hands on him.
Get back to looking in the dust bin, you’re not getting our left-back on the cheap.