Following the success of last season, Newcastle have hardly sprung into life in the transfer market. The only additions made thus far have been youngsters Gael Bigirimana, Romain Amalfitano and Curtis Good. These signings were clearly made with the future in mind and it’s unlikely that any of them will creep into Alan Pardew’s first team plans next season.
The lack of transfer action has led to rabid speculation amongst fans. Is Alan Pardew merely biding his time, or is he satisfied with what he’s got? Of course, there’s option 3: Alan Pardew is looking make some additions but doesn’t have the resources to do so. Whatever the truth may be, Newcastle fans will doubtless be hoping that their club does make a couple of additions over the course of the summer. They may well have been somewhat satiated by Pardew’s recent comments to the Sunday Sun:
“I don’t know if not signing anyone is bad news, I would say that bad news is losing a player, especially one of our top players and I do believe we are pretty strong in terms of that not happening. We are in a situation wherein we can hold off any offers that come our way… but if we get players in then great. I do need a couple of players, maybe three.”
“However, I am very comfortable about going into our first game without any. If, to get a deal done, we need to show patience then that’s what we will do. It’s better to be patient with the ones that you want, rather than going down the list a little bit.”
I have to say that he sounds like a man conflicted. I think he wants to make signings. I’m overjoyed that he recognizes Newcastle need 2-3 players in order to push on next season. But I am a little worried by his need to qualify everything. He notes that ‘not signing anyone’ may not be bad news. He also notes that he’s ready to go into the first game of the season without making any new additions. Is he trying to brace Newcastle fans for a lack of action in the transfer market?
The worst thing Newcastle can do now is sit still. Think about how the signing of Papiss Cisse rejuvenated the club in January. It allowed them to continue to perform over the remainder of the season and kept levels of belief strong.
Newcastle need to keep riding this wave and have to make some smart additions. They’ve kept hold of their key players, and that’s a good start. If they want to push forward, however, they’ll need to do more. These 2-3 potential signings could be the difference between another successful season and the start of a decline.
What’s your take? Should Newcastle be sticking or twisting in the transfer market?
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