6th June 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 Norwich City?
Having started this series while Norwich City were a Premiership team,
I had hoped by the time I got around to covering them for this feature,
that they would have retained their Premiership status as I quite
like Norwich and for me, they were one of the most entertaining sides
in the League.
And although many see Delia Smith as a bit naff and someone the Premiership
can do without, can anyone really doubt how refreshing she has been
in a League dominated by slimy Chairmen who often show a lack of passion
for the game and indeed their own club's? She certainly doesn't and
her "lets be having you" intoxicated rant was one of the
highlights of a fairly mundane and drab League.
Anyway, having succumbed to relegation the usual scenario that envelops
a club like Norwich would be lots of exits and wheeling and dealing.
Not with the Carrow Road side however.
Norwich have always been well managed and with a relatively young
squad who know the 1st Division inside out, a very bright young manager
in Nigel Worthington and the parachute payments from the Premiership,
they don't need to sell nor would many want away because a quick return
is a more than likely outcome should they keep the backbone of their
side. I tip them to bounce back.
Looking at their squad, there is really only one player who I'd like
to see at St. James' Park - Dean Ashton - whom I
have kept a close eye on since he burst onto the scene as a 16 year-old
at Crewe.
Although he can't move club's until January due to new laws, he's
one player I'd like to think Newcastle will monitor with a great deal
of interest as he is very much in the mould of our very own Alan Shearer.
A player who Ashton has modeled his game on unsurprisingly.
Still only 21 the 6' 1" centre-forward's 7 goals in 16 starts
for Norwich almost kept the Canaries up, proving he can play at the
highest level having also represented England Under 21s, partnering
the Toon's Michael Chopra on a few occasions.
Ashton has it all. He's big and strong, has a very good first touch,
is no slouch, can strike the ball with either foot, is quite exceptional
in the air and with 75 goals in 159 games he knows exactly where the
back of the net is.
He's very much an alrounder and in time and alongside the right players
he can go all the way to the very top in my opinion. He has impressed
me from day one and having saw him up close and live for Crewe a few
years back, his performance and attributes forced me to take notice
of him.
Since then I've been spouting off about this possible future Shearer
replacement and was quite disappointed that Newcastle never made a
move for him in January at a price of £3m which will prove a
bargain in years to come. Norwich did and they have a real gem on
their hands. How long he stays with them, remains to be seen. I suspect
he won't stay very long.
At his age, he is a far better striker than James Beattie, Alan Smith
and Robbie Keane who we have all been linked with in recent years
and I for one would keep a few quid back for his signature in January.
Next up, a look at who is available, who could be available and who
we could potentially attract from Portsmouth.
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:
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