| Articles
Main |
Buying
From Our Premiership Rivals - Manchester City |
26th May 2005
Index:
Arsenal
Aston
Villa
Birmingham
City
Blackburn
Rovers
Bolton
Wanderers
Charlton
Athletic
Chelsea
Crystal
Palace
Everton
Fulham
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester
United
Middlesbrough
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Bromwich Albion
Europe
Conclusion?
So Graeme Souness wants to bring in players who have Premiership experience
or who can perform in the League, then? Well lets take a look at our
Premiership rivals and see who is available, who could be available
and who we could potentially attract.
Buying from Manchester City?
One player I'm sure we would all love at St. James' Park is the diminutive
pocket rocket that is Sean Wright-Phillips who has
improved vastly in recent seasons and can rightfully be considered
a top-class player now.
The man who struck three goals at the Old Gallowgate this season,
one for England and two for his club in a 4-3 defeat, has it all.
Electric pace, power, technique, heart, explosive shooting from either
foot and he seems to have his head screwed on. A tremendous player.
And for those reason's alone, he is out of our League. Even if we
could afford him and he became available, he could pick and choose
his destination. And lets be honest, there isn't a whole lot of difference
between Man City and ourselves, especially at the moment with Kevin
Keegan's former side finishing well above us in the League.
All these rumours that Newcastle are courting his services simply
serve to do is to bring out the deluded in us. It ain't going to happen
folks. Just like the Michael Owen rumour.
One Man City player that could be a real possibility is Sylvain
Distin who made 35 appearances for United during 2001-2002
after a season long loan deal from PSG.
Distin of course opted to sign for the then newly promoted City and
not Newcastle who had just qualified for the Champions League because
Keegan offered him more money.
While at the Toon he impressed me a lot and since then he has matured
as a player and indeed now wears the Captain's armband. He has pace,
strength, is athletic and can play in the centre or at left-back where
he spent most of his time playing on Tyneside.
A January bid of £5.5m was turned down by City who demanded £7m and
it remains to be seen whether that interest will be renewed now that
the transfer window is back open. At the right price he'd be a good
signing and would strengthen two positions but having turned us down
once over money, he has shown what motivates him, so no thanks.
Another Man City player we have been linked with for a number of years
now is the much improved Richard Dunne who has become a key player
at the City of Manchester stadium - a consistent performer these days.
However having let Aaron Hughes go, I'd be livid if Graeme Souness
signed the Republic of Ireland man.
One player who has impressed me and who could be a viable option is
Kiki Musampa who has been linked before and indeed watched
on a few occasions last season under Sir Bobby's management. Currently
on loan from Spanish side Atletico Madrid the big and powerful Dutchman
has settled in well and the pace and physical side of our game seems
to really suit him. A bit of an all action goaslcoring midfielder,
Musampa can also play on the left and would cost relatively little.
At 27 and with a wealth of experience he would be a very good signing
in my opinion.
While on the subject of Man City, good luck to Stuart Pearce
in his now permanent job. While he was slightly past it when he made
the switch to Newcastle, one didn't need to be a genius to spot just
how great a player he had been and for me personally - as with John
Barnes - it was a real pleasure to see one of the game's greats in
a Toon shirt. I'm sure he'll turn out to be a very good manager so
all the best to him... except against Newcastle.
Next up, a look at who is available, who could be available and who
we could potentially attract from Manchester United.
Write In... Who would you like Newcastle to sign
in the Summer? Write in with your suggestions, reasons for your choices
and what these players would bring to the squad and we will publish
your thoughts on these very pages. Send in your suggestions using
the below e-mail form:
|
