With the transfer window opening on the 1st July, we can probably expect to see an increasing number of transfers in the coming months, not just at Newcastle, but at all clubs in the world. With this, we welcome the return of Buying From Our Rivals. Since last summer, Newcastle’s search for new players has taken a more international approach with the likes of Jeff Vetere given the task of searching the world for the best world talent. To reflect this, Newcastle-Online has spread its net and shall be looking at entire divisions, competitions, countries and regions where appropriate. Starting off in more familiar territory, we shall first analyse the possibilities available in the Premier League.

Having already made a club record bid for Luka Modric, fans should have concerns regarding the financial capability of the club. It has however been suggested that huge money will no longer be spent on players past their peak whom are likely to drain club resources. Having had a few of these players in recent years and found ourselves unable to sell them off without incurring a huge loss, this policy is satisfactory.

Such a policy has worked wonders at Arsenal for years. By signing younger players, Wenger has managed have star players in his Arsenal team without overspending. Even those younger players who weren’t quite considered good enough to play regular first team football have been sold on for a huge profit to other teams. Many of these rejects have gone on to become star players for other clubs, and it is fair to say that signing a fringe player from Arsenal is in general more beneficial than signing similar from Manchester United or Arsenal.

Three players who find themselves on the fringes of the Arsenal first team and may never get the chance are Denilson, Alexandre Song, and Nicklas Bendtner. Newcastle have been crying out for central midfielders who can both pass a ball and physically impose themselves on the game for ninety minutes, and both Denilson and Song would fit the bill. It would take a fairly large bid to tempt Wenger to sell up, but neither is unsaleable. The same goes for Bendtner who would provide both strength and skill to our forward line. Following an apparent crisis of confidence and a spat with Adebayor, the Danish international could be the more realistic of the trio.

It is unlikely that Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers are going to be a source of new personnel this summer. The Magpies are not in a position to compete for Gareth Barry or David Bentley, and the lucrative sale of both players should shut the door to other departures. Similarly, the door is shut to most outbound transfers at Portsmouth.

At Bolton, most that was good followed Sam Allardyce out of the club, leaving the bare bones of a squad that will again struggle if Gary Megson fails to sign three or four half decent players. As such, it is hard to identify any players that could improve Newcastle United. With the exception of recently transferred players such as Zoltan Gera, the same applies to all players from Middlesbrough, Fulham, Hull, Stoke City, and West Brom.

The managerial merry-go-round has left the futures of many Chelsea players in the air, and it is difficult to predict exactly who will be playing for Scolari next season. Nicholas Anelka failed to command a regular place in Avram Grant’s side last season, and it remains to be seen whether he will be involved next season. His record in the Premier League speaks for itself and should Chelsea wish to move him on, he would certainly be an upgrade on Viduka, plus Keegan has the advantage of working with the Frenchman at Manchester City.

Another former Keegan player at Chelsea is Shaun Wright-Phillips and again if he were to become available, he would be a huge improvement on what we already have on the right wing. Meanwhile out of favour Isreali centre half Tal Ben-Haim might relish the opportunity to resume the successful partnership he shared with Abdoulaye Faye at Bolton.

It is hard to see a Chelsea youngster breaking into a side that takes a very short term approach to its recruitment. Scott Sinclair is a young striker who is quick, skillful, composed, and comfortable on the ball. He has the potential to play for England in the future, but may not live up to this potential if he is left to stagnate in the reserve side. Providing we don’t intend to overload our squad with strikers, the former Plymouth-loanee could be a smart signing.

Everton, like Villa and Blackburn are another tight-knit squad from whom we are unlikely to prise any major players. Given that Newcastle are in need of a left back to cover for Jose Enrique, fringe player Nuno Valente could offer a cheap and experienced alternative to other options if we look to focus our transfer budget in other areas.

One player, Manuel Fernandes is considered by many as an Everton employee, but a permanent deal remains to be finalised. The Portuguese youngster has the makings of a very good box-to-box midfielder, and given that he is part-owned by the infamous MSI group, it could be possible to hijack this transfer if Keegan et al. were willing to pay enough.

Recent speculation has suggested that Danny Guthrie has told friends that he expects to join the Magpies. The Liverpool midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Bolton wouldn’t pull up trees, but is a tidy player who given his youth and low valuation could prove to be a very useful squad player, especially with the number of substitutes increasing to seven players from next season.

Guthrie is one of five Liverpool players linked with Newcastle this summer. Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant would be better than what we already have as long as the price is reasonable. Meanwhile young defenders Emiliano Insua and Jack Hobbs would offer immediate defensive cover and hope for the future. Both looked very impressive when they took on Newcastle Reserves last season, and Insua in particular looked like he could become a top Premier League player.

Manchester City currently find themselves in a position of financial strength and although it initially seemed that the dismissal of manager Sven Goran Eriksson would lead to a mass exodus of players, but the arrival of Mark Hughes has done a lot to reduce that speculation. However should there be an influx of players, the situation may change once more, and Richard Dunne, who was previously linked with a move to St. James’ Park would bring leadership and defensive quality to our defence should he become available.

On the whole, the Manchester United players who are in our league right now would bring no more to Newcastle than Alan Smith. One exception however would be Jonny Evans who was on-loan at Sunderland last season. The centre back is a composed player who at twenty years old offers plenty of potential, but is unlikely to find his way past the more established names at Manchester United.

Evans was not the only player who impressed at Sunderland last season. Kenwyne Jones led Sunderland’s forward line superbly at times this season, and showed real ability at holding up the ball. Surrounded by decent team mates, the former Joe Public FC and Southampton striker could be a very effective striker and a more financially viable alternative to Crouch and Viduka.

A fair few Spurs players have been linked with possible moves to Newcastle over the past few months. The likes of Michael Dawson and Anthony Gardner would be very disappointing signings, but Aaron Lennon would offer the pace and flamboyancy which had been missing at Newcastle United last season and has the potential to improve, while Pascal Chimbonda would make us well stocked in the full back area.

Wigan Athletic lack quality in most areas, although their Premier League status was rescued last season by the performances of Antonio Valencia and Wilson Palacios. Valencia would provide some genuine guile to our right hand side, while Palacios would provide a real injection of energy and ability to our midfield. Both players would cost a fair bit, but both players are young and would be a quality investment.

All in all, twenty-one players in the Premier League have been identified as realistic targets that would be expected to improve Newcastle United. There could be others, but these are the best of the bunch one way or the other. Keegan has said he is looking to bring five quality players to the club this summer. From this shortlist, the five most desirable players are:

Aaron Lennon
Wilson Palacios
Richard Dunne
Manuel Fernandes
Nicholas Anelka

These five players would complement our existing squad, and make Newcastle United a stronger force in the league. But can we do better? Future editions of Buying From Our Rivals will compile a similar five man shortlist, and the series shall conclude by comparing the shortlisted players to identify the best players available on the market this summer.

Who in the Premier League do you realistically want to sign? What are your opinions on the players mentioned? Have Your Say.