All signs continue to point to Modibo Maiga signing with Newcastle as soon as the January transfer window opens. Reports emerged on Tuesday that Maiga was in London undergoing a medical, which should expedite the move.
Of course, Newcastle's rush to sign the Sochaux striker runs somewhat counter to the fact that he'll be leaving England shortly thereafter to play for Mali in the Africa Cup of Nations - Mali's first match in the competition is Jan. 24.
That's a blow in the short term, because United could use the injection of energy that a new signing generally brings to a club. Not to mention the fact that Demba Ba and Cheick Tiote (assuming he's healthy by then) will also be at the tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
But Newcastle's hierarchy, as always, appears to be following its long-term plan of buying up-and-coming players for reasonable prices. Maiga is being bought for more than just the second half of this season, which is clearly why his international obligations haven't scared off United. Nor should they have, because Maiga is a great fit at Newcastle.
He'll immediately have the most diverse skill set of any striker on United's roster. That's not to say he's going to be Newcastle's best striker. But none of Alan Pardew's current options up front can match Maiga's combination of speed, aerial ability, strength and hold-up play from a raw skill standpoint. He can play on the last shoulder of opposing center backs or drop deeper to link with the midfield. In theory, Maiga should be able to play with any of Newcastle's strikers and adapt his play as need be.
Maiga's statistics for this season - four goals in eight starts and two substitute appearances - have been severely skewed by Sochaux's cautious handling of an apparently minor injury, with the French club obviously reluctant to risk jeopardizing a sale. Plenty of Newcastle fans have also expressed concern over Maiga's decision to go on strike at Sochaux to try to push through a move to Tyneside back in August. Hatem Ben Arfa pulled the same stunt (twice, actually). Same with Demba Ba. They seem to fit in just fine.
Quality strikers don't come cheap, so landing Maiga - a player who scored 15 goals in 34 starts last season - for £6-7 million is a no-brainer for Newcastle, even if he won't be able to help out right away.
Now, for some defenders, which brings us to James Tomkins. We've updated our transfer guide to include West Ham's 22-year-old center back amid reports that Newcastle had a £2.5 million bid turned down last weekend. Given Pardew's ties to Upton Park, those stories may just have some truth. And a signing such as Tomkins would make sense - a player who could step in as a starter in the short term but who also isn't too established to work as a squad player once the injury list thins out.
the only problem i have is where do you put ben arfa? Ba has his spot nailed down. then its a battle between maiga and ben arfa for the withdrawn or do we switch to a 4-4-2 or put HBA in the midfield, which then you'd have to place tiote or cabaye on the wing or the bench (since pardew wont play HBA on the wing).
Posted by: Jaeger | 12/15/2011 at 09:17 AM