MAIGA RUMORS APPEAR CREDIBLE, FOR OCTOBER

Transfer rumors are getting to be like Christmas displays: they come so far ahead of the season it makes a person weary. And the earlier they are, the more absurd they tend to be - the thought of Liverpool forking out £10 million for Ryan Taylor, much as we like him, is enough to make us fall over a wall with laughter. So we're not going to dignify most transfer stories with posts at this point. However, current reports of Sochaux/Mali striker Modibo Maiga's January transfer to Newcastle are widespread enough for us to comment, keeping in mind our guidelines for transfer rumor evaluation that proved popular with readers over the summer.

While Luke Edwards and the Telegraph are trustworthy by English media standards, yesterday's Telegraph piece trumpeting Maiga's imminent arrival was short on detail and lacked even an unnamed source. But the Telegraph report was corroborated by the impeccable French sports daily L'Equipe, whose brief item yesterday was attributed to "a source close to the English club." That put the Maiga reports slightly ahead of the late-summer done-deal rumors regarding PSV's Erik Pieters, for example, which were greeted with skepticism in the Dutch press.

Today's report in The Journal by Mark Douglas confirms Newcastle's continued interest in Maiga - he's said to headline the club's list of potential No. 9s - while pumping the brakes a bit on the timeline for an agreement being reached. Sochaux's local daily L'Est Republicain, which was quick to discount the summer rumors of Maiga's transfer, reported negotiations for a winter transfer to Newcastle being underway two weeks ago, and acknowledged today in a reader Q-and-A column that the player's departure is likely. 

The problem, of course, is that the transfer window is still 11 weeks away. By that time Maiga could fade from his torrid early pace, or be injured, or be struck by lightning. Or his scoring tear could intensify to the point at which Liverpool would send Sochaux the £10 million it has set aside for Ryan Taylor. We just can't know. But, as far as Halloween transfer rumors go, the Maiga reports feel at least a little more like treat than trick.

Comments

[Ryan]

There is also a new rumor out that we are interested in Twente's young striker Luuk de Jong. Honestly, I would put him up there with Maiga. I think Pardew would know how to handle Maiga IF we got him, but he seems to be a bit of a personality problem. I would be concerned about Maiga getting unhappy like he is now and threatening the changing room harmony. De Jong is younger and a bit taller. And he has been lights out so far for Twente this year. Considering how our striker pursuits have gone the past couple of windows, I am not getting my hopes up at all until an official signing is announced by the club.

[Jeff]

Haven't done much research on this one but if Kalou is unsettled at Chelsea and is looking for first team football wouldn't he be a viable option as well? Apparently Arsenal and Liverpool are looking at him but I think NUFC offers him the best chance of first team action. A good pacey compliment to Ba, Best or Big Lad.