It’s unfortunate that Alan Pardew headbutted his way into the headlines. After all, he stole the limelight away from what was a very impressive Newcastle United performance. From the very start, the Magpies had Hull City on the back foot and they proved to be more than worthy of their 4-1 victory.
This result and the 1-0 victory over Aston Villa last week, may be the start of the club turning around its fortunes. Having lost to Tottenham, Chelsea and Sunderland in February (and conceded 10 goals in the process), Newcastle United were in a pretty bad place.
Yohan Cabaye’s exit from the club during the January transfer window had clearly played a role, as confidence levels dropped, passes became less accurate and the Magpie’s centre-forwards suddenly stopped linking with their midfield. But here’s hoping that this was just a blip and that Alan Pardew has managed to turn things around.
Still, Yohan Cabaye will need to be replaced at some stage. Pardew opted against doing this in January, but will have another shot at doing so in the summer. Let’s hope he takes it.
The Mirror claim that Newcastle United are in the chase to sign Red Bull Salzburg’s highly rated Senegalese midfielder, Sadio Mane. The source claims that Mane is keen to ‘come to England to join the French-speaking colony on the Tyne’. Nicely put!
He’s currently rated at £10m, which says something given that Salzburg paid just £4m for him at the beginning of the season.
The 22-year-old has come on leaps and bounds this season. He’s got pace, energy and confidence on the ball. He’s smart, isn’t afraid to take people on and can be rather effective on his day. The fact that he’s scored 25 goals in 45 games for Salzburg should provide plenty of appeal to Alan Pardew.
In that sense, perhaps he’s a bit more like Yaya Toure than Yohan Cabaye. Still, if Newcastle were to get their hands on this player, I’m sure that few fans would complain. He’s a genuine force in front of goal, hes still young and he’s ready for a move to a big club.
£10m isn’t a lot of money in the modern game, but the Magpies would be getting plenty of bang for their buck in this case.
What’s your take? Would you like to see Sadio Mane at St James’ Park?
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