The short answer at the moment to this question seems to be, not a lot. In fact nothing at all in terms of transfers in. Unless of course you can count Olivier Kemen, which you shouldn‘t, as I expect he will play the grand total of 0 minutes for the first team this season. Not because he’s not a talented footballer, more because he turned 17 a mere 5 days ago, as of writing.
So why are Newcastle being so coy when it comes to signing players. They have showed an interest in Lyon’s Bafetimbi Gomis. However even that is somewhat shrouded in doubt with most of the press stating Pardew was lining up the move purely based on the apparent exit of Papiss Cisse. However we now know that this exit speculation, based entirely on the fact that he was unwilling to wear the Wonga sponsored jersey of Newcastle, is unlikely to accumulate. As he has now agreed to don the black and white stripes, regardless of what horrific corporate monster appears on its front. (personally I feel the club should honour his beliefs and allow him to wear a brand less shirt. But that‘s a discussion for a different day).
So now Cisse appears to be staying, for the time being anyway, will Newcastle continue to chase Gomis? Well many of the Newcastle contingent will be hoping that they do, if for nothing more than to simply make an appearance in the transfer market. Although it could be seen that Gomis could be a perfect addition to the club for the price that they could purchase him for. In fact Lyon chairman John-Michel Aulas has made it no secret that he feels no need in keeping the winger, and has at times been rather forthcoming in his desire to sell the Frenchman.
Regardless of whether Pardew buys Gomis or not, It’s very unlikely that Newcastle will be splashing a huge amount of money in this transfer window. It is more likely that the signing of Olivier Kemen is somewhat how the transfer policy of Newcastle will be this summer. The signing of young and/or fringe players that will not see a huge amount of first team football but will add depth in squad.
This probably isn’t what a lot of the fans that spend their Saturday afternoon’s chanting from the Sir John Hall stand would like to hear. However it may just pay dividends. Obviously Pardew and the board are confident that their current crop of players are capable of keeping them within the premier league, and they probably should be, hence their current transfer trends.
Furthermore any money saved may well make it into Pardew’s pocket at a later date, which may certainly help in the future. Mike Ashley isn’t the kind of owner that is in this game for the short run, and as far as I can see the decisions he makes are all in the aim of gaining top-flight football for Newcastle United for years to come. They may never win the premier league set-up as they are, but they certainly will be a constant within the countries top flight.
Source: DSG
