Pardew - Next season will be different

27 June 2012 12:17

Alan Pardew believes Newcastle will face 'different' challenges next season, but is confident his players can be equal to the task.

Pardew guided the Magpies back into Europe following a fifth-place finish in the Barclays Premier League which earned him the LMA Manager of the Year accolade.

The 50-year-old is determined to both retain key men like Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa as well as adding to his squad, and he told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle: "This is going to be a different year, you have to remember that. Different players will come in and out of form - it won't just be about those who done well last year"

FC Twente striker Luuk de Jong, PSV Eindhoven forward Ola Toivonen and Lille's France international full-back Mathieu Debuchy are all Newcastle targets.

And Pardew knows it will take a sustained effort by all of the group to replicate those past successes in the forthcoming campaign.

"I am expecting Gabby Obertan and Sylvain Marveaux to be back and raring to go," he said. "They are two players that can have big seasons for us next year.

"There is Sammy Ameobi and Shane Ferguson as well.

"It is a year further down the line for them and they will get their chances to do well for us. It is a chance to see how they develop."

The future of Academy defender James Tavernier, 20, needs to be settled as he approaches the end of his contract, with MK Dons keen to follow up on a successful loan spell there.

Newcastle will tackle Monaco in Germany on July 16 as part of their warm-up for the new campaign, which will see a Europa League play-off at the end of August.

Source: PA