Mariappa Missed The Boat - Better Players To Arrive

It was deadline-day disappointment for Newcastle as Watford's Adrian Mariappa failed to make the switch to Tyneside, but Alan Pardew wasn't too disappointed. The Watford defender was allegedly "keen to join Newcastle" . but it looks as though he is destined for a future in the Championship. Pardew puts his faith in utility man James Perch as back-up for Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson, and said "I'm sure we will bring in a better defender in the summer." Newcastle are set to wait until the summer, with Ajax’s Jan Vertonghen high on Pardew’s list. Alan Pardew: “We can hold fire now for the centre-half and we can probably get a better deal when we do. “I would like to have had a defender, but Perch did well at Brighton. “You have to say that when he has come in he has done OK. "He has boosted me a little bit on that front. "But we kept our big names, and that is most important. “By midnight last night I was hoping I would have nothing to worry about when it came to the big players. There were no bids.”

Source: FOOTYMAD