I Wish I Was A Geordie - The Blog of Newcastle United in the US

Building A Better Newcastle: Summer 2012 Transfer Guide (UPDATED 8/30)

*Updated 8/30 to reflect player moves.

If last summer was about reshaping the core of Newcastle United's squad, this summer is about building on last season's progress.

Newcastle may have taken care of one need in January by landing a frontline striker in Papiss Cisse, but United still has holes to fill - particularly with the extra demands of the Europa League.

Even with Fabricio Coloccini having signed a new contract, Newcastle needs to bring in another top-tier center back, preferably one with the speed to survive playing a high defensive line. Another fullback would help, too - either a specialist left back who would allow right-footed Davide Santon to move to the right side or a right back to challenge or replace Danny Simpson.

United could use a forward in light of the departures of Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands, as well as depth in the midfield. Goalkeeper isn't at the top of the list, but with Fraser Forster having joined Celtic on a permanent basis, Newcastle could stand to add another shot stopper.

And that's not even considering the possibility of having to replace any of the big guns ...

We've compiled a list of some of the candidates to fill those needs below. They're ranked in order of how likely they are to arrive at St. James' Park this summer. We don't plan on adding any old name that pops up in the rumor mill, so we'll be waiting for reputable reports or players who would genuinely make sense as signings. We've also added a section for developmental signings - players who will be brought in but won't be asked to challenge for first-team spots next season.

STRIKERS

Loic Remy
Club: Marseille (French Ligue 1)
Country: France
Height: 6-0
Date of birth: Jan. 2, 1987
The skinny: Newcastle's interest in Remy first surfaced with a report on le10sport.com on July 21. Remy would seem to be out of United's price range; then again, various reports have indicated Newcastle is willing to spend significant money on Carroll. Remy would fit well with Newcastle's current forward line, in part because he's versatile enough to play as a wing forward or a central striker. However, he also has a heart condition that held up his transfer from Nice to Marseille in 2010.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

John Guidetti
Club: Manchester City (English Premier League)
Country: Sweden
Height: 6-1
Date of birth: April 15, 1992
The skinny: Even though Guidetti has been one of the top scorers in the Dutch league all season, he'll be hard-pressed to get near Manchester City's first team. So at some point, you'd figure he'll be sold despite the fact that Man City clearly doesn't need the money. Guidetti was a free agent last summer and was reportedly close to joining FC Twente before opting to sign a new three-year deal with City. Should City decide to sell this summer, there will be plenty of interest from the Premier League and beyond - Bayern Munich has reportedly scouted him.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Andy Carroll - SIGNED WITH WEST HAM (ON LOAN)
Club: Liverpool (English Premier League)
Country: England
Height: 6-3
Date of birth: Jan. 6, 1989
The skinny: They couldn't, could they? No one could have envisioned this scenario when Newcastle sold Carroll to Liverpool for a whopping £35 million in Jan. 2011. New Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has made it clear he doesn't see a future for Carroll in his team, and a return to Newcastle is said to be the big Geordie's preference. It's hard to see how Alan Pardew could accomodate Carroll, Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse in the same lineup, but Newcastle will need quality depth this season. Carroll's finishing has been suspect at Liverpool, but he remains an elite header of the ball.
Highlights

M'Baye Niang - SIGNED WITH AC MILAN
Club: Caen (French Ligue 1)
Country: France
Height: 6-0
Date of birth: Dec. 19, 1994
The skinny: Niang came into the season being touted as a rising star in France, having made his Ligue 1 debut at 16 last year. Plenty of big clubs had been linked with a move, but he hasn't made much of an impact this season for a struggling Caen side. That said, he's still young.
Highlights

Emmanuel Mayuka - SIGNED WITH SOUTHAMPTON
Club: BSC Young Boys (Swiss Super League)
Country: Zambia
Height: 5-9
Date of birth: Nov. 21, 1990
The skinny: Mayuka's representatives claimed Newcastle was interested in the 21-year-old striker on multiple occasions last winter. That may very well just be their way of drumming up interest in their client - Fulham and Arsenal were the other Premier League teams mentioned - but Mayuka is indeed an intriguing young prospect. He won the Golden Boot at this year's Africa Cup of Nations, helping Zambia claim the tournament title in fairy tale style. It would be a major step up from the Swiss League to the Premiership, but Mayuka would give Newcastle a change of pace up front with his raw speed.
Highlights

Luuk de Jong - SIGNED WITH BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH
Club: FC Twente (Dutch Eredivisie)
Country: Born in Switzerland; plays for the Netherlands
Height: 6-2
Date of birth: Aug. 27, 1990
The skinny: Newcastle has been linked with de Jong since the season began. Now he's said to be United's top option to replace Demba Ba should the Senegalese striker leave Tyneside after one season. De Jong is more of a finesse striker than a physical one and is a technically gifted player - no great surprise since he's lived in the Netherlands since he was 4. He finished second in the Eredivisie goal race with 25 in 32 games this season, although the Dutch league is known for its offensive style. Interestingly enough, Newcastle has also been linked with Luuk's older brother Siem, an attacking midfielder for Ajax.
Highlights

Jay Rodriguez - SIGNED WITH SOUTHAMPTON
Club: Burnley (English Championship)
Country: England
Height: 6-1
Date of birth: July 29, 1989
The skinny: Newcastle's interest in Rodriguez didn't surface until late in January. Alan Pardew had personally watched Burnley play at Middlesbrough earlier in the month, with most observers assuming he was there to scout Smoggies center back Rhys Williams. Rodriguez has really emerged in the last two seasons, tying for the club lead in goals last season and leading the Clarets this time around. Newcastle was said to be content to wait until the summer to make a move for Rodriguez, who will only have a year remaining on his contract at that point. Rodriguez would have to be interested in joining a club where he's not a first-choice striker for the move to work, though.
Highlights

WINGERS
Wilfried Zaha
Club: Crystal Palace (English Championship)
Country: Born in Ivory Coast; plays for England
Height: 5-9
Date of birth: Nov. 10, 1992
The skinny: Newcastle is hardly alone in its interest of Zaha, Crystal Palace's 19-year-old phenom. Nearly every Premier League club has been linked with a move for him at some point this season, in part because of Palace's financial situation. But Zaha, who can play as a winger or striker, just signed a five-year contract in December, so he won't come cheap - Bolton can attest to that, having had a reported £7 million bid turned down on the final day of the January transfer window. Zaha is still raw, but his combination of speed, power and trickery makes him the Championship's most highly regarded prospect. Considering he figures to cost somewhere around £10 million, it's hard to see Newcastle spending the required cash to land Zaha. And, to be fair, that's a pricey sum for someone who's playing in the Championship.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Victor Moses - SIGNED WITH CHELSEA
Club: Wigan Athletic (English Premier League)
Country: Born in Nigeria; has played for England youth international teams
Height: 5-10
Date of birth: Dec. 12, 1990
The skinny: Newcastle could use more speed on the wings, and Moses certainly has that. There are reasons to believe this is a plausible transfer, too - Moses will have a year left on his contract at the end of the season and Newcastle showed interest in him in January 2010 before he left Crystal Palace for Wigan. Moses' production isn't quite where you'd want it to be, but he's taken a step forward this season - particularly in the second half during Wigan's late surge - after replacing Charles N'Zogbia as Wigan's top offensive threat. Plus, he's only 21. Of course, there's always one obstacle for any Wigan-to-Newcastle transfer: Dave Whelan and Mike Ashley's icy relationship.
Highlights

Junior Hoilett - SIGNED WITH QPR
Club: Blackburn Rovers (English Championship)
Country: Canada
Height: 5-8
Date of birth: June 5, 1990
The skinny: Hoilett has blossomed into a star at Blackburn over the past two seasons. He's also a free agent as of this summer, so expect a string of top clubs - from England and abroad - to court him (and, technically, foreign teams could begin talking to him in January). Hoilett won't come totally free, since Blackburn will get some compensation because the Canadian is under 23, but he'll cost considerably less than he would otherwise. The Sunday Sun reported on Feb. 12 that Hoilett's name was on Newcastle's list of targets for the summer, but he's been linked heavily with Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich. Were Newcastle to secure his signature, it would add a speedy and skilled attacker capable of playing as a winger or striker. His habit of diving is annoying, but Hoilett is a big-time player.
Highlights

Eljero Elia - SIGNED WITH WERDER BREMEN
Club: Juventus (Italian Serie A)
Country: Netherlands
Height: 5-9
Date of birth: Feb. 13, 1987
The skinny: Newcastle showed interest in Elia late last summer, before Juventus paid €9 million to land the Dutch winger. The move has been a total dud for Elia, who has rarely been seen in a Juventus jersey. There were reports that Newcastle wanted to take him on loan in January, but that was never going to happen because he's already played for Hamburg and Juventus this season. Elia's career production hasn't necessarily matched his reputation, but he's still only 25 and would add some much-needed speed and skill on the flanks. Then again, Hatem Ben Arfa is a similar player. Unless Juventus is willing to take a loss on the deal, it's hard to envision Newcastle landing Elia.
Highlights

MIDFIELDERS
Romain Amalfitano - SIGNED!
Club: Stade de Reims (French Ligue 2)
Country: France
Height: 5-9
Date of birth: Aug. 27, 1989
The skinny: Amalfitano, whose older brother Morgan plays for Marseille, appears to be another of Newcastle's French targets. According to respected French newspaper L'Equipe, United has offered the attacking midfielder, who will be a free agent this summer, a three-year contract. The English press have compared the deal to the one that brought Mehdi Abeid to Newcastle from Lens last summer, but there is a fairly significant difference: Abeid was 18 when United signed him; Amalfitano is 22. That would seem to indicate that Newcastle's decision makers believe that, despite the fact he's never played in the French first division, Amalfitano can step up to the Premier League sooner rather than later. 5/23 UPDATE: Newcastle confirmed that Amalfitano had signed, with the deal becoming official July 1 after his contract at Reims expires.
Highlights

Vurnon Anita - SIGNED!
Club: Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie)
Country: Born in Curacao; plays for Netherlands
Height: 5-6
Date of birth: April 4, 1989
The skinny: Anita is a product of Ajax's famed academy. He's played at left back and defensive midfielder since breaking into the first team in 2006, and it's unclear where Newcastle projects him as a player. In May, the 23-year-old was mentioned as a possible replacement for Cheick Tiote should Newcastle cash in on its prized defensive midfielder this summer. But when Talksport initially reported that United was closing in on a deal for Anita on June 8, it indicated that Newcastle was looking at him as a left back. Anita has reportedly told Ajax he wants to leave as a result of Newcastle's interest. 8/16 UPDATE: Newcastle officially announced the signing of Anita, with Ajax's official website revealing a fee of €8.5 million.
Highlights

Benjamin Corgnet
Club: Dijon (French Ligue 1)
Country: France
Height: 5-11
Date of birth: April 6, 1987
The skinny: Corgnet, an attacking midfielder, made an impressive start to life in Ligue 1 - catching the attention of several English clubs - before losing steam. L'Equipe first reported Newcastle's interest in the playmaker on Dec. 17. Corgnet is somewhat of a rags-to-riches story - at least from a footballing perspective - having joined Dijon in 2010 from Monts d'Or Azergues of the French fifth division. Dijon manager Patrice Carteron, a former Sunderland player, told French media on Jan. 4 that his club had turned down an offer from Newcastle, but admitted that Corgnet could leave at the end of the season. Newcastle denied that any offer was made, but it wouldn't be surprising to see this move happen in the summer.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Mark Davies
Club: Bolton Wanderers (English Championship)
Country: England
Height: 5-11
Date of birth: Feb. 18, 1988
The skinny: Despite Bolton's relegation performance this season, Davies was impressive and quiety turned into one of the Premier League's underrated gems. An efficient, forward-thinking midfielder, his statistics compare favorably to those of Yohan Cabaye, which is impressive when you consider Bolton's struggles as a team. The Evening Chronicle reported on Feb. 14 that Davies is on Newcastle's list of summer targets. But there will likely be a host of Premier League clubs interested, particularly with Bolton now in the Championship.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Alain Traore - SIGNED WITH LORIENT
Club: Auxerre (French Ligue 2)
Country: Burkina Faso
Height: 5-9
Date of birth: Dec. 31, 1988
The skinny: Traore scored five goals in the season's first four games, before Auxerre began to fade badly and slide down the Ligue 1 table (eventually resulting in the club's relegation. Traore, who was on trial at Manchester United before joining Auxerre in 2005, can play all across the midfield as well as in the hole as an attacking midfielder and possesses a dangerous left foot. It would be surprising if Traore remained at Auxerre after its relegation.
Highlights

Jacob Butterfield - SIGNED WITH NORWICH CITY
Club: Barnsley (English Championship)
Country: England
Height: 5-11
Date of birth: June 10, 1990
The skinny: Shortly after reports emerged that Newcastle scouts had been spotted watching Butterfield, Barnsley's captain suffered a season-ending knee injury. That hasn't stopped the Butterfield-to-Newcastle rumors from intensifying. Butterfield's contract is up after the season, although Newcastle would still need to pay Barnsley compensation because Butterfield is under 23. Butterfield is billed as a creative central midfielder with an eye for goal. Butterfield in all likelihood won't be fit for the start of next season, but Newcastle showed with Dan Gosling that it's willing to deal with similar circumstances to sign a promising young player.
Highlights

CENTER BACKS
Douglas Franco Teixeira
Club: FC Twente (Dutch Eredivisie)
Country: Born in Brazil; holds Dutch passport
Height: 6-4
Date of birth: Jan. 12, 1988
The skinny: Newcastle has been linked with a move for Douglas for most of the season. United didn't make its move in January, though, despite a need at the position, but could now land its man in the summer. Douglas has been linked with big clubs around Europe for several seasons and helped lead Twente to the Eredivisie title in 2009-10. With his big frame, he's an obvious threat on set pieces, but he also can play with the ball at his feet. He also seems to have a bit of a temper - last season he was involved in a physical altercation, was red carded, shoved the referee and had to be physically removed from the field (he also shoved another opposing player to the ground on his way off). Douglas' contract expires in the summer, but Twente has an option to extend it, which they'll certainly do.
Chances of happening: 2.5/5
Highlights

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa
Club: Montpellier (French Ligue 1)
Country: Born in Central African Republic; has played for French Under-21 team
Height: 6-0
Date of birth: May 15, 1989
The skinny: Yanga-Mbiwa is the captain of Ligue 1's surprise team this season and has played a major role in Montpellier's rise. He's not the biggest center back, but is speedy and skilled and is more than comfortable bringing the ball out of defense. Newcastle has been linked with him all season, and Yanga-Mbiwa hasn't been shy in discussing his desire to play in the Premier League (he's admitted he's been taking English lessons to prepare for a move to England). His price tag has dramatically shot up this season, particularly now that Montpellier has secured a Champions League spot for next season. His athleticism and speed would add something to Newcastle's corps of center backs.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Virgil van Dijk
Club: FC Groningen (Dutch Eredivisie)
Country: Netherlands
Height: 6-3
Date of birth: July 8, 1991
The skinny: Reports in Holland claim that Newcastle was due to meet with van Dijk's agent, Martin Henk Chin, sometime in the season's final two months. The 20-year-old van Dijk first broke into Groningen's first-team picture near the end of last season before establishing himself as a starter this season. The Dutch under-21 international is billed as a speedy center back who can also operate at right back. Based on his age and relative lack of top-flight experience, van Dijk would seem to be "one for the future" who could provide depth next season.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Toby Alderweireld
Club: Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie)
Country: Belgium
Height: 6-1
Date of birth: March 2, 1989
The skinny: Newcastle has been connected to Alderweireld's defensive partner Jan Vertonghen since early in the season, but the Sunday Sun reported on March 4 that United is closely following the lesser known Alderweireld as well. Alderweireld likely wouldn't come much cheaper than Vertonghen, though, in part because he's signed through June 2014 (Vertonghen is signed through June 2013). Alderweireld is billed as a skilled and versatile defender - he can also play right back - who can pass and chip in with the occassional long-range goal.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Bruno Ecuele Manga
Club: Lorient (French Ligue 1)
Country: Gabon
Height: 6-1
Date of birth: July 16, 1988
The skinny: Ecuele Manga is an option if Newcastle misses out on Douglas, according to The Journal. Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton have also been linked, along with several Italian clubs. The Gabonese defender doesn't have the sort of goal-scoring track record that Alan Pardew has said he's seeking from a center back. That said, he totally fits the profile of a Newcastle signing in the Graham Carr era. Bordeaux signed Ecuele Manga as a youngster, but let him leave on a free transfer and he's since developed into one of the most highly regarded young defenders in Ligue 1. UPDATE: Ecuele Manga injured his knee in Lorient's Ligue 1 opener, erasing any chance he'll be moving anywhere.
Chances of happening: 0/5
No highlights available

Jan Vertonghen - SIGNED WITH TOTTENHAM
Club: Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie)
Country: Belgium
Height: 6-2
Date of birth: April 24, 1987
The skinny: Vertonghen is a highly skilled left-footed center back who will have a year left on his contract come this summer - so he's a man in demand. Given his age and contract status, it's no wonder Newcastle is interested. But he's also been linked with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Spurs, so United would do well to land him. The rumored price tag has been £10 million, which might be more than Newcastle is prepared to spend. Were he to arrive at St. James' Park, though, he would suit Newcastle's possession-based style of play quite well.
Highlights

FULLBACKS
Mathieu Debuchy
Club: Lille (French Ligue 1)
Country: France
Height: 5-9
Date of birth: July 28, 1985
The skinny: Debuchy has apparently told Yohan Cabaye that he'd like to join him at Newcastle and the Frenchman is reportedly on United's list of potential summer targets. But there are some significant hurdles to this deal. Debuchy's current contract runs through 2015, so Lille would be able to hold out for a sizeable fee (barring the presence of a lower release clause). Debuchy will also turn 27 this summer, which would put him outside of Newcastle's preferred age range. And Debuchy has also been linked with the likes of Manchester United. If the move were to happen, though, Debuchy would give Newcastle a major upgrade at right back with his ability on the ball and attacking instincts. He's started 26 or more Ligue 1 games for Lille the past four seasons, with eight goals in that span.
Chances of happening: 1.5/5
No highlights available

Gregory van der Wiel
Club: Ajax (Dutch Eredivisie)
Country: Netherlands
Height: 6-0
Date of birth: Feb. 3, 1988
The skinny: Van der Wiel is said to be Newcastle's backup option should Lille continue to hold out on selling Debuchy. He's highly regarded, particularly for his ability to get forward, and has been linked with the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the past. He is coming off a poor Euro 2012, though. But, since van der Wiel is entering the final year of his contract, he would seem to be a more affordable option at right back than Debuchy.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Erik Pieters
Club: PSV Eindhoven (Dutch Eredivisie)
Country: Netherlands
Height: 6-1
Date of birth: Aug. 7, 1988
The skinny: Pieters was reportedly close to arriving last summer - the transfer was called imminent at one point by several respected media outlets - but the move broke down and Newcastle instead signed Davide Santon to replace Jose Enrique. The cause of the deal's collapse was a disagreement between Pieters' agents and Newcastle's hierarchy, according to the Sunday Sun. Pieters suffered a fractured metatarsal in his right foot in mid-October, but returned to action in late February. Pieters, who can play either left back or center back, would add versatility to Newcastle's defense. Considering how close this was to happening last summer, it wouldn't be stunning to see Newcastle take another shot at landing its man.
Chances of happening: 1/5
Highlights

Aly Cissokho - SIGNED WITH VALENCIA
Club: Lyon (French Ligue 1)
Country: France
Height: 5-11
Date of birth: Sept. 15, 1987
The skinny: The powerfully-built Cissokho reportedly was one of Newcastle's left back targets in the wake of Enrique's departure last summer. But Lyon's price tag was too high - £10 million was the figure making the rounds - and that number didn't appear to drop much in January, when Cissokho was again linked with a move to Tyneside. While Cissokho's career hasn't quite taken off like many expected since his €15 million move from Porto in 2009, he's still been a regular starter for Lyon the past three seasons. Cissokho also has a troubling medical issue that caused a move to AC Milan to break down (which enabled Lyon to make its move). Milan's medical staff believed the positioning of his teeth indicated a related spinal problem, which could cause bone deterioration and muscle fatigue. This link won't go away, but that may be thanks to Cissokho's representatives rather than genuine interest from Newcastle.
Highlights

Nathaniel Clyne - SIGNED WITH SOUTHAMPTON
Club: Crystal Palace (English Championship)
Country: England
Height: 5-9
Date of birth: April 5, 1991
The skinny: Clyne is another one of Palace's impressive young players. His contract is also up at the end of the season, with Newcastle among the clubs linked with a summer move. Newcastle should be familiar with his talent from its season in the Championship in 2009-10, when Clyne was named FourFourTwo's Young Player of the Year. Clyne built on that last season, playing all 46 league games for Palace en route to being named the club's player of the year. Clyne is an attacking right back whose addition would make Danny Simpson expendable. Plenty of other Premier League clubs have been linked with a move, though, with Manchester United frequently mentioned as the favorites to land him.
No highlights available

Ezekiel Fryers - SIGNED WITH STANDARD LIEGE
Club: Manchester United (English Premier League)
Country: England
Height: 6-0
Date of birth: Sept. 9, 1992
The skinny: Fryers, a left back who can also play in the center, is a free agent in the summer and has reportedly stalled on signing a new contract. He's expected by many to join Ravel Morrison and Paul Pogba as talented youngsters who have recently left Old Trafford in search of more playing time and/or larger paychecks. Fryers, nicknamed "Zeki," made his first-team debut this season in the Carling Cup and made two substitute appearances in Premier League action, as well as one in Champions League play.
Highlights

GOALKEEPERS
Stephen Henderson - SIGNED WITH WEST HAM
Club: Portsmouth (English Championship); on loan with West Ham (English Championship)
Country: Ireland
Height: 6-4
Date of birth: May 2, 1988
The skinny: Henderson has established himself as Portsmouth's No. 1 in his first season at Pompey. Unless the club's financial situation improves by the summer, though, he'll almost assuredly be moving on. Ipswich Town nearly signed him in January, but Newcastle reportedly scouted him that month as well. Henderson was at Aston Villa as a youth player before moving to Bristol City, where he started only three games in four seasons. He then joined Portsmouth last summer. UPDATE: Henderson has become the latest player to leave Pompey in the midst of its financial crisis, joining West Ham initially on loan with a view to a permanent deal in the summer.
No highlights available

DEVELOPMENTAL SIGNINGS
Gael Bigirimana - SIGNED!
Club: Coventry City (English League One)
Country: Burundi
Height: 5-8
Date of birth: Oct. 22, 1993
The skinny: Newcastle has reportedly put in a bid for Bigirimana, Coventry's young defensive midfielder who has one of the most compelling background stories you'll find. A refugee from Burundi, he showed up at Coventry's academy training ground as an 11-year-old to ask for a trial. He was told he would first need to be scouted, so he left information and ran home. Coventry's coaches saw him running and decided to give him a trial. Bigirimana broke into the first team this season, playing in 26 Championship games en route to winning the league's Apprentice of the Year award. With Coventry relegated to League One, it appears Newcastle has decided to test the club's resolve to keep its promising young player.
No highlights available

Curtis Good - SIGNED!
Club: Melbourne Heart (Australian A-League)
Country: Australia
Height: 6-1
Date of birth: March 23, 1993
The skinny: Good went on trial at Newcastle in April, with conflicting reports as to whether or not he impressed. Good only just completed his first A-League season for Melbourne, having played at the Australian Institute of Sport before that. Good is a left-footed central defender who can also play left back.
No highlights available

Luke James
Club: Hartlepool United (English League One)
Country: England
Height: NA
Date of birth: Nov. 4, 1994
The skinny: Newcastle has reportedly placed a bid for Hartlepool's baby-faced 17-year-old forward, with Bolton and Celtic also said to be interested. James has been at Hartlepool since he was 12, but made his first-team debut midway through last season and quickly impressed.
No highlights available

Christophe Lowinsky
Club: Olympique Marseille (French Ligue 1)
Country: France (born in Martinique)
Height: 6-2
Date of birth: May 5, 1992
The skinny: Lowinsky is a France under-19 international center back who had a trial at Newcastle in May. He has yet to appear for Marseille's first team, but has played for its B team. He made his senior international debut for Martinique - the island of his birth - in a friendly in April, leaving him still eligible to potentially play for France down the road.
No highlights available

Valentin Gjokaj
Club: FC Luzern (Swiss Super League)
Country: Switzerland
Height: NA
Date of birth: Aug. 23, 1993
The skinny: Gjokaj is another young defender who spent time on trial at Newcastle in the spring. There isn't much information available on him - he apparently was on trial at Blackburn previously - but he seemed to be impressed by St. James' Park.
No highlights available

Another Display Of Newcastle's Blemishes

Two weeks ago, I wrote that Newcastle United's 5-0 stuffing at Spurs showed that Alan Pardew's squad couldn't yet compete with the Premier League's top clubs on a consistent basis.

Today's disappointing - but not disastrous - 2-2 draw against Wolves showed that Newcastle isn't yet good enough to consistently control games, even against inferior opposition.

Newcastle simply isn't at that level right now.

That's not to say that United can't do that at times - it already has done so periodically this season. But performances like Saturday's shouldn't be totally unexpected based on Newcastle's statistical profile.

Despite leading 2-0 after 18 minutes, Newcastle allowed Wolves to control the pace and flow of the game until late in the second half, when the visitors dropped deeper to ensure they got a point.

Wolves won the possession battle 54.3-45.7 and outpassed Newcastle, completing 379 compared to United's 328 (both teams completed 78 percent of their passes). Wolves also won 55 percent of the game's ground duels (50-50s) and had a 21-11 advantage in successful tackles, two statistics that show how they outworked Newcastle. United was slow and predictable when it did have possession - a terrible combination against a team that was pressing like its life depended on it in the midfield.

Newcastle, on the other hand, looked lethargic, particularly in the middle of the field. That Jamie O'Hara completed 44 of 48 passes (92 percent) speaks to that. Yohan Cabaye's 56 touches were about five below his season average and he wasn't involved in enough of Newcastle's forward movement, while Cheick Tiote completed 75 percent of his passes, significantly down from his season average of 83. The fact that Mike Williamson and Danny Simpson were two of Newcastle's most involved players in terms of touches (Williamson had a team-high 64, Tiote had 63 and Simpson had 62) tells you how productive United was with the ball.

In the end, Newcastle's saving grace was a 13-7 advantage in chances created, with Papiss Cisse supplying a predatory finish and Jonas Gutierrez adding a blockbuster goal.

But those weren't enough to cover up United's weaknesses. Williamson provided further confirmation that Newcastle needs a significant upgrade at center back this summer with one of his shakiest performances in a black-and-white shirt. Simpson looked uncomfortable in possession and repeatedly sent in poorly-struck crosses. Gutierrez and Davide Santon were predictable on the left flank, constantly cutting inside to get the ball on their preferred right feet. No one in United's midfield linked play in attack.

Those are the holes in a squad that wasn't built for a run at a top-four finish, as much as we'd all like it to be.

Wolves' Points Could Come Across Against Newcastle

On the surface, Newcastle United's home date against Wolverhampton on Saturday has the makings of a mismatch. Both clubs are coming off the wrong end of five goals in their previous outings, but Newcastle's embarrassment came with a decimated midfield in an away match against Champions-bound Tottenham, while Wolves were clocked at home against a bottom-half club and have landed in the hands of a caretaker manager. And Newcastle is about to field the closest thing in weeks to a preferred XI, with Yohan Cabaye back from suspension and Cheick Tiote back from Africa.

However, in his pre-match comments, Alan Pardew opened by stressing the need for his Magpies to "make sure the back door is firmly closed." Which may be more important and less simple than it sounds.

Wolves look every bit like a club in the relegation zone except for one area: crossing. On Saturday Newcastle will be facing the best crossing club in the league, fourth in attempts and first in completions. Wolves are the only club with two players among the league's top crossers: Jamie O'Hara and Matt Jarvis. 

Granted, being great at crossing is a bit like having the best seafood in Nebraska. Crosses can be seen as a second choice, the last resort of an offense forced too deep; clubs who cross less, relative to their total passing, tend to score more. But accurate crossing is still a weapon, and the back corners have been soft at stretches for Newcastle this season. Danny Simpson, who will be on Jarvis' side, has been Dracula-like in his vulnerability to crosses.

So Pardew knows whereof he speaks. Expect a good showing from a hungry Newcastle club at full strength. But if opportunity knocks for Wolves, it will likely be at the back door.

Is Newcastle Lucky Or Good? Let's Play Moneyball

The most-read post in the history of our blog with a headline not containing “Ben Arfa” was our discussion last fall of whether Newcastle's rise in the Premier League might represent the arrival in soccer of moneyball. For readers abroad who may not be familiar, "moneyball" is an American sports term derived from the acclaimed book and movie of the same name, based on the story of how the low-budget Oakland A's and their pioneering General Manager Billy Beane (played on screen by Brad Pitt) used modern statistical analysis to compete effectively with much bigger and richer clubs in Major League Baseball.

Baseball isn’t a continuous-flow sport like soccer. The discrete actions of batting, pitching and fielding are easily recordable and measurable, producing an almost unlimited wealth of analyzable statistics. The same goes for American football and its structure of individual plays, as I found during my time as a doctoral student in political science, when it turned out my main talent wasn’t for politics, but for numbers. For a project in a quantitative research course I used eight seasons’ worth of NFL statistics to construct a rating and handicapping system that might have made me a Las Vegas retiree by age 40 if the NFL scheduled 10,000 games a season instead of 256. As it stood, all I got from it was an A.

When I wrote the moneyball piece on Newcastle for our blog last fall, I was dying to conduct a similar study for soccer, to help gauge whether Newcastle’s sudden rise was a mere stroke of fortune, or if the club had stumbled onto something that might help smoothe the economic disparities of soccer like the A’s have in baseball. Unfortunately, soccer is much stricter and weirder than American sports about shielding broadcasts, highlights and information from fans, preferring to charge directly rather than promote widely. (Judge for yourself which approach works better; all I’ll say is the NFL team I support is located in a city of 100,000 and draws 70,000 fans a game.) For my NFL study, most statistics I needed or wanted were available for free. In soccer, all but the most basic and random statistics are hoarded away by the league, the clubs or third-party organizations, and are either unavailable to the public or shockingly expensive.

Or so I thought until recently, when we at the blog discovered an affordable and useful trove of selected Opta soccer statistics via a service known as EPL Index. EPL Index doesn’t have everything I want or need to make sense out of a sport that isn’t as suited to numerical analysis as American football. But it has enough for an interesting start, which has caused me to spend way too much time the past two weeks coding Premier League team statistics since 2008-’09 (the earliest season available) into an analytical program on my MacBook. Using procedures like correlation and regression of which I’ll spare you the close details, I’ve identified or constructed a dozen statistics that seem, from what I can tell so far, critically relevant to a club’s success on the table, especially in the context of Newcastle United and its surprising showing this season.

At the top of the statistical hit parade, unsurprisingly, are goal difference and goals scored. (Goals conceded, on their own, don’t seem as closely related to a club’s overall success – perhaps a discussion for another time.) Goal difference alone is about 90 percent proportional to a team’s overall points in the league. That may seem rather unremarkable – after all, isn’t the object of the game to score more goals than the other team? Yes, but what is somewhat remarkable is the lack of chance or luck that seems to be involved, especially in a sport where scoring is rare and one bad bounce can turn a match. For example, a team might grind out three victories by a goal each and then give up a couple of weird goals on a bad day and lose 3-0, resulting in 9 points on the table but a goal difference of 0. By and large, though, this doesn’t happen, and when it does, it balances out quickly in the other direction. Once in a great while a Premier League club will achieve far above or below its goal difference over an entire season, one notable example being Everton’s 2004-2005 team, which finished fourth with a -1 goal difference. But outcomes like this are exceedingly rare, and reality tends to settle in swiftly (Everton finished 11th the following season). In the end, even with the relative scarcity of scoring, goal difference in soccer is more predictive of a team’s overall record than margin of victory in American football, perhaps because American football plays only 16 games in a season and there isn’t time for irregularities to even out. 

Newcastle’s current 6th-place standing on the league table is only slightly better than its 7th spot in goal differential and 8th spot in goals scored. Not much luck to be seen there. It’s true that, taking historical stats into account, a team with only 36 goals and a 0 difference after 25 games should have significantly fewer points (about 33) and stand significantly lower on the table (about 10th) than Newcastle does. But that’s not about Newcastle – that’s about the table. Otherwise Newcastle would rank lower in the individual categories too. The big, rich teams continue to consolidate more of the available talent, making it steadily easier to be best of the rest.

To play moneyball, however, one needs to unearth the more obscure statistics that control the obvious ones. Goal difference and goals scored appear to be underpinned by three slightly less celebrated statistics: chances created in open play (setplays, not as much, again a different discussion), shots on target and minutes in possession. This, too, is rather unremarkable on its face. The more chances and shots you get, the more you’ll score; the more you possess the ball, the more chances and shots you’ll get and the less there will be for the opponent. In these areas, though, Newcastle stands only 14th, 14th and 11th in the league. Based on that, Newcastle’s goal scoring and differential, and consequently Newcastle’s spot on the table, should almost certainly be worse than it is. Something unusual is happening.

Or shall we say, someone unusual: Demba Ba. Of the balls that have gone to Ba’s foot in scoring position, nearly two-thirds have gone on target, and half of those have gone in. This is well ahead of the next player (Robin Van Persie at 22 percent overall conversion), not to mention the rest of the league. As we examined here last week, it’s clear there’s more luck in converting a chance than creating one. So is Ba on a lucky streak, or is he that good? Given the track record at West Ham last season and in Germany before that, Ba appears to be among the small handful of strikers, league-wide and worldwide, with a true talent for attracting high-quality chances and/or putting chances on goal and into the net regardless of their quality. Having rained similar numbers of goals for an inferior club in Germany, Papiss Cisse may be cut from Ba’s cloth, which is probably Newcastle’s best hope for maintaining or improving its place on the table by the end of the season.

Ba and his unusual impact on Newcastle’s goal difference explain some of what’s happening this year. But the next level down in statistical obscurity is the true moneyball level – the little things all players and teams must do moment by moment to control the bigger things, and ultimately the league table. Here are six little things about soccer that look intriguing, in order of importance: non-backward passes (not the accuracy but the raw number, which I added up from Opta’s passes left, passes right and passes forward), successful dribbles (defined by Opta as moving past a defender while maintaining possession), percentage of 50-50s won on the ground (in the air, not so much, see below), successful tackles, intercepted passes, and a statistic I constructed by dividing the total number of 50-50s received on the ground by the total number of 50-50s received. I’ve named that last stat “ground ratio,” and it’s meant to measure how much a team plays on the ground rather than in the air. It’s far from a perfect measure, but it does a fairly decent job at projecting the overall table, and it’s the best I could do with the stats available, a number of which hint ominously that the more and higher a team lifts a soccer ball, the more it will underperform. Here is the level of analysis at which I begin to worry that Newcastle could be overachieving and due for a fade. Again the club stands visibly worse than its spot on the table on all these counts, and there’s no simple or reassuring explanation.

But we’ve covered only 11 of my 12 favorite statistics so far, and on the 12th, Newcastle is more than holding its own.

Like fielding in baseball, goalkeeping in soccer seems maddeningly difficult to measure. Making a lot of saves may just mean a keeper is on a bad club. Save percentage doesn’t say anything about the difficulty of the saves or the positioning of the keeper. Most of the goalkeeper stats seem almost absurd in their lack of relation to anything. Pick-ups? Really?

But one goalkeeping stat available through EPL Index caught my eye: high cross catches. The ability to snare a cross would seem to be a decent measure of a bunch of key goalkeeping skills at once: reaction time, positioning, surehandedness, strength, involvement. A cross catch also robs the other club of a chance, and chances occupy a lofty spot on the statistical hierarchy. Cross catches probably wouldn’t be quite as inflated by the overall performance of a keeper’s team as goals or shots or saves, either. Sure enough, of all the dumb goalkeeper stats I had at my disposal, high cross catches turned out to be the one that was somewhat weakly but almost certainly associated with a club’s overall success. I suspected before I looked that Newcastle and its flying Dutchman would be high on the cross catch table. In fact, it’s the single area I’ve found so far in which the Magpies are running away from the league.

So, is Newcastle actually good, or just lucky? My best guess so far, as a moneyball-loving American, is that Newcastle is both pretty good, and very lucky – lucky to have Demba Ba and Tim Krul.

Now Or Never For Ben Arfa

Throughout Newcastle's stellar start to the season, one question has intrigued fans more than any other: will Hatem Ben Arfa ever find a regular role at the club? Once one of the most coveted young talents in Europe, Ben Arfa has played the full 90 minutes only twice during  his time on Tyneside. He's produced one sublime moment in each of his two seasons. This year's gem earned him a trip to the FA Cup final in May. (Shame the rest of the team won't be joining him.)

Despite being healthy for virtually the entire season, Ben Arfa has only cracked Alan Pardew's starting lineup when first-choice players have been out. Both of his brief runs in the starting eleven have ended with a halftime substitution. He's then vanished onto the bench for weeks on end.

We've talked at length about how he's a mismatched piece in Pardew's 4-4-2. That's even more obvious now with the arrival of Papiss Cisse. The new striker allows his countryman, Demba Ba, to play in the number 10 role that he prefers. That would make Ben Arfa the odd man out in the forward equation. But there is another option: revive the experiment that had been started during the Africa Cup of Nations, and play Ba, Cisse, and Ben Arfa in a fluid 4-3-3. And there's no better time to try it than Saturday, facing a Wolves club in disarray, helmed by an interim manager making his debut.

Pardew has been especially vexing in his comments on Ben Arfa: he seems determined to use the media to integrate the freelancing Frenchman into his hardworking team. And while it hasn't always worked out, Ben Arfa performed like an "Alan Pardew player" against QPR last month as part of the 4-3-3. In that match, he held onto the ball, constantly linked up with Jonas Gutierrez, and generally frustrated a team that - like Wolves - had just changed managers. Compare that to his aborted start against Blackburn, which most recently banished him to the bench, and you'll quickly get a sense of what Pardew expects of Ben Arfa: 

Statistic	v. QPR (1/15)	@Blackburn (2/1)
Minutes played	65	45
Open play passes	30/36 (83%)	7/9 (78%)
Chances created	2	0
Successful dribbles	5	0
Losses of possession	0	3
NUFC possession	60.8%	41.5%

As we'll talk about in the weeks to come, maintaining possession and creating chances are the hallmarks of winning football. Certainly, Ben Arfa can score flashy goals and drop defenders' jaws with his dribbling tricks. Unfortunately, he's tried too often to replicate his FA Cup wonder strike, not always using his passing skills to provide teammates with chances on goal. Maybe that will change if he's played with Ba and Cisse instead of Leon Best and Shola Ameobi. There's only one way to find out, and Pardew has to let go of his misgivings about Ben Arfa and give him a proper chance, starting this weekend. 

The Newcastle "project," as Pardew called it, depends on attracting young continental players with the prospect of winning, stylish football. It would be a shame to throw that project away by letting a promising talent fade. It will require a bit of give-and-take from both parties. Pardew needs to resist his temptation to give Ben Arfa a quick hook, and Ben Arfa needs to do more to get his teammates involved. But the potential benefits - a high league finish, qualification for European competition, and reassurance to summer transfer targets - make the compromise well worth the risk.

Tiote Could Have Saved Newcastle Against Spurs

To some degree, Newcastle fans were probably happy to see Cheick Tiote representing his country in the Africa Cup of Nations. Being out of England seemed to chill the transfer rumors that had swirled around him all season. He was better off in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon than turning up in London or Manchester on January 31st. The club didn't seem to miss him in the Premier League, either, as three wins in four matches reignited hopes of a surprise finish in the top four.

Well, Saturday showed just how crucial Tiote truly is to any sustained success Newcastle aspire to this season. As my co-blogger Tom pointed out, Alan Pardew's hapless side managed just 34.6% of the possession at White Hart Lane. Most of it was probably spent picking the ball out of Tim Krul's net. The 5-0 scoreline may have understated Tottenham's dominance of the match.

But we should remember that at full strength, Newcastle played an entertaining, free-flowing, and dead-even 2-2 draw against Spurs at St. James' Park in October. And it was Tiote who controlled the play that day; in fact, the home side won the possession battle by hanging onto the ball 55% of the time.

On Saturday, Spurs seemed to have a grip on the match from the opening handshake on. While we've praised Danny Guthrie's performance here in the past, he's not the sort of player who can neutralize a talented group of midfielders. Tiote, on the other hand, did just that against Tottenham in October, even though Harry Redknapp packed the midfield with Luka Modric, Scott Parker, and Jake Livermore.

In that matchup, Tiote performed his destroyer role with aplomb, with five tackles and five interceptions. Uncharacteristically, though, he also dominated the ball against Spurs. In fact, he had more touches of the ball (91), completed more passes (60 of 67), and did so at a higher percentage (90%) than any other player on either side of the pitch that day. Quite an impressive feat for a player who's often been thought of as a one-dimensional defensive midfielder.

That presence in midfield was what Newcastle lacked above all in this most recent game against Tottenham. No one challenged Redknapp's men at any point, whether through a timely tackle, an incisive pass, or even just a sustained, threatening spell of possession. The team went into North London and got steamrolled, something which wouldn't have happened if Tiote were available.

Tiote also gives Pardew a freer hand in choosing formations and tactics. After complaining that his options were limited against Spurs, he's able to go back to the 4-3-3 that he may prefer, and that we think can make a difference. The 5-0 rout should have set alarm bells ringing on Tyneside this week.  But Pardew thinks first of defensive solidity when considering changes. In that regard, Tiote is the ultimate "possession player," who takes the ball off the opposition and finds a teammate with it the vast majority of the time. He's the base that will allow more flexibility in team selection, and hopefully to more chances created.

Newcastle may still have come home empty-handed on Saturday with Tiote, but at least it would have been a contest worth watching.  The Ivorian enforcer may have been absent during the club's recent charge up the table. But his presence the next three months will be vital to any hopes of European qualification.

The Key To Newcastle's Chances: Chances

In contrast to a number of commentators, including some of genius-level soccer IQ like my co-blogger Tom, I'm not reading much into Newcastle's thrashing Saturday at the hands of Spurs. Tom is correct that Newcastle has been inconsistent against the Premier League's top clubs this season. But the league is down to only three such clubs, against which Newcastle is still a respectable 1-2-2 so far this season, including a horse-whipping of Manchester United in the previous test. Taking a decimated engine room into an away match against a Champions-destined club in top form, Newcastle had little chance to compete. In the hangover of defeat Tom wrote that fourth place looks unrealistic despite the tight grouping on the table. I don't agree. With the midfield set to return, a No. 9 yet to settle in, only one match left against the top three (at home, no less), and none of the surrounding clubs making a move, there's still plenty of reason to believe Newcastle is a contender - maybe the favorite - to secure England's last Champions League spot.

There's one critical respect, though, in which Newcastle still resembles the Championship more than the Champions: the ability to create scoring chances. It sticks out like a sore toe in the Opta statistics we've been playing with (via our cool new EPL Index subscription), and the remainder of the season is likely to turn on whether Alan Pardew is able or willing to do anything about it. When Newcastle gets chances, they're buried at a greater clip than almost anywhere else in the league, and that's likely to get even better, thanks to the Senegalese special ops division at the front. But once the stats are updated with this past weekend's games, only two clubs will be lower on the table than Newcastle at creating scoring chances: relegation candidate Blackburn, and Stoke, which plays the dictionary opposite of the precision-passing game Pardew maintains he favors. The really bad news, as is evident from the chart above, is that at the Premier League level of soccer, winning is more about creating chances than the rate at which they're converted. If a team creates enough chances, sooner or later, enough will go in.

What, if anything, can be done about this? With seven of Pardew’s preferred starters creating less than one chance per game, and an eighth, Gabriel Obertan, flirting with the bench, the need for a change in team and/or formation barely needs stating anymore. We've recently written about the potential advantages of inserting Danny Guthrie alongside Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye in a 4-3-3. Failing that, and given recent reports that Sylvain Marveaux is close to being ruled out for the season, there’s but one promising chance-maker left for Pardew to choose: Hatem Ben Arfa. We’re sorry, Mr. Pardew. Yes, his brilliance is too often seen only in flashes. Yes, his work rate and defense leave plenty to be desired. But with the club safe now from relegation, what’s to lose? Isn't a shot at Europe worth the risk of giving up a few meaningless goals and random spots on the table?

Perhaps that's not the way Pardew thinks. Just because Newcastle can contend for the Champions League doesn't mean the club is ready to be there. Maybe the manager feels it's best to build rather than leap toward Europe, while sending a strong message to his club about discipline and effort. That's his prerogative.

But it would make the acquisition of Papiss Cisse at the league's highest January price into a head-scratcher. What's the point of having two world-class finishers running around with no one to serve them? True, Cisse wasn't acquired with only this season in mind. But the next transfer window could be crueler than the last, and next fall could find Newcastle back at mid-table, even with Cisse. There's no better way to guard against future player defections than getting to the Champions League now.

Newcastle has arrived at the previously unimaginable situation, in outward appearance at least, of Mike Ashley showing more ambition than Alan Pardew. The owner has taken a chance. The manager should consider following suit - or he may see his club's chances at goals, victories and Europe fade away with the winter.

A Painful Reminder Of Where Newcastle Stands

Someday Newcastle United might get back to the point where it can go toe-to-toe with the Premier League's top clubs on a consistent basis.

But not right now. That much is painfully obvious after Saturday's 5-0 drubbing at Spurs. Newcastle entered the match with a chance to move into fourth place. It left London in sixth place with a goal difference of zero after its worst performance of the season.

In hindsight, we all should have seen the potential for this coming. Spurs came into the match on an emotional high after manager Harry Redknapp was cleared of tax evasion charges this week, ending 4 1/2 years of drama. Not to mention Tottenham is simply a damn good team with the sort of speed that Newcastle has struggled against at times.

The wisest thing to do would have been to sit deep and worry about stopping Spurs first and foremost. Instead, United left space for Tottenham to maneuver, got opened up time and time again by early balls into the channels and compounded those problems with some abysmal defending in and around the box. After impressing last week, Danny Guthrie and James Perch looked out of their depth against Scott Parker and Luka Modric in the center of the midfield as Newcastle struggled to maintain possession (United's 34.6 percent possession was its worst of the season*). Again, not totally surprising. But all of this is easy to say after the fact.

As always, though, some level of perspective is needed when looking at a single performance and its meaning. Fourth place looks unrealistic at this point, even if Arsenal and Chelsea are each only one point ahead of Newcastle with 13 games to play. But United is also ahead of schedule in its long-term plan. Wasn't a top-10 finish the goal for this season? Newcastle still should finish in the top seven, an achievement that shouldn't get downplayed.

If anything, Saturday confirmed what we already knew. Newcastle needs to upgrade on the flanks, both at fullback and winger. Davide Santon's defending needs to improve, while Danny Simpson is just an average Premier League player. Jonas Gutierrez is a hard worker who isn't dynamic in the slightest and Gabriel Obertan is nothing more than a squad player. United badly needs more speed at the back - isn't that right, Mike Williamson? - and on the wings.

None of those things are new revelations. It's just too bad we had to be reminded this way.

*Statistics courtesy of EPLIndex.com.

Pardew Would Be Foolish To Leave Newcastle Now

England or Spurs might come calling, but Alan Pardew says he's staying at Newcastle United. That's a good thing for Newcastle. It's also a smart career move by Pardew.

Granted, we're assuming Pardew is being honest in denying any interest in leaving Newcastle. That's always a leap of faith, even with the most trustworthy individuals in professional sports. While Pardew isn't as evasive as most managers, he's clearly not afraid to bend the truth when needed.

But he also seems like an intelligent, reflective person who I don't think would underestimate the risk associated with leaving Newcastle so soon. Sure, the England job is something he couldn't have dreamed of even six months ago. Same thing with the potential opening at Spurs, should England hire away Harry Redknapp. Both are higher-profile jobs. Those aren't sufficient reasons to make such a defining career move, though. Just ask Mark Hughes, Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce.

Pardew appears to be building something special at Newcastle, a "project" - the term he used this week - that could potentially rival Spurs' current success in a season or two. He has the ability to shape the direction of the club, all the way down to the youth setup. It's hard to imagine anyone getting comparable creative control as England manager. And the Spurs job post-Redknapp will be all about maintaining the status quo. That's a recipe for getting fired after one bad run.

The more success Pardew has at Newcastle, the more patience he'll get at his next stop. That could be England. Or Spurs. But not now.

Newcastle's Most Underrated Player

That Danny Guthrie was an afterthought coming into this season seems ridiculous now.

Guthrie won't be a contender for player of the season at Newcastle United. But he deserves to be more than a footnote in the story of Newcastle's surprising top-six challenge.

Where would Newcastle be without Guthrie? Not fifth in the table, I promise you that. Between Cheick Tiote's knee injury and Africa Cup of Nations absence and Yohan Cabaye's current suspension, Guthrie has started nine Premier League matches for United. Newcastle has taken 16 points (five wins and one draw) from those games, a return that's more impressive when you consider matches against Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are included.

Most of Guthrie's playing time has been in relief of Tiote, sitting deeper than Cabaye. In all honesty, he's miscast in a holding midfield role. I don't blame Alan Pardew for using Guthrie in that position, simply because he's clearly Newcastle's next-best central midfielder after Cabaye and Tiote and can play the holding role well enough. Thing is, Guthrie is much better suited to play where Cabaye does, with an athletic destroyer type sitting behind him. That's how it was Saturday against Aston Villa, when Guthrie ran the show from the midfield with James Perch cleaning up the trash behind him.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Guthrie should play over Cabaye. But the difference between the two isn't as great as most would have you believe. Take a look at how they in some key statistics* in Premier League play this season:

Statistic	Cabaye	Guthrie
Pass completion	79 percent	82 percent
Pass completion in final third	62 percent	64 percent
Chances created (open play)	19	13
Ground 50-50s	58 percent	60 percent
Tackle success	65.4 percent	63.3 percent

Injuries have hampered Guthrie's progress over the past two seasons, but it's still somewhat baffling to think he wasn't considered a more integral part of Newcastle's plans going into last season. He was quiety one of the stars of the Championship season, leading United in assists (13) and playing major roles in some of Newcastle's most memorable attacking performances in the second half of that season. That Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton were so influential under Chris Hughton probably didn't help Guthrie's cause.

The presence of Cabaye and Tiote means Guthrie still isn't a part of Newcastle's strongest lineup in Pardew's preferred 4-4-2 formation, which means extending his contract - due to expire this summer - could be a bit tricky. Guthrie, who will turn 25 on April 18, is good enough to interest plenty of other Premier League clubs that could offer him a regular starting role.

The x-factor in all of it is what Pardew does when Tiote returns. His 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 experiment showed promise before crumbling in the second half against Fulham and looking awkward at Brighton and in the first half at Blackburn. But that was with personnel that didn't necessarily fit the formation. In Guthrie, Cabaye and Tiote, Pardew would have a midfield trio better suited for a 4-3-3 based on their passing ability.

Either way, should Guthrie sign a new contract, he won't be a forgotten man going into next season.

*Statistics courtesy of EPLIndex.com.