A Cold January on Tyneside

By: Daryl | November 28th, 2008

Managing: Newcastle
Date: January 2nd, 2009
Progress: 6th in Prem, need to make the most of transfer window

It’s not looking like a happy January. First of all, Mike Ashley finally sold up. Saudi billionaires? American millionaires? Nope and nope. It was Newcastle board member David Williamson who’s been haggling over a price with Ashley ever since I started. His first message to me was that “there are no plans for further investment at this time.” So there goes my January shopping spree.

What I could have on my hands instead is selling spree. Obafemi Martins has 15 goals in 18 starts, is worth £8.75m and is wanted by: Aston Villa, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Inter Milan. All those clubs have cash, but I want Oba. Big problem is that Oba has a minimum fee release clause of £13m. Trying desparately to get him to sign a new contract sans release clause, but he wants £61,000 a week and I can only go as high as £40,000.

I could maybe go higher if I adjusted the budget and sacrificed some of my paltry £1.9 million transfer kitty. Or maybe I should just sell up and reinvest. Decisions decisions.

The best solution might be to let Oba go for £13m (like I have any choice) and find a replacement pacy striker. Only problem is I’m having trouble finding someone affordable. Any ideas?

Pacy strikers aside, here are some other possible January targets:

Ronaldo himself (click for screenshot) is available. Not C-Ron, the chubby one. He’s 32 and still got great skills, if a lack of pace and worrying weight of 209lbs. Seems I could get him for about 6,000 a week, but signing injured old timers has never gone well for me in the past. On the other hand, I can’t help thinking that a Ronaldo signing could sell some shirts to easily excitable Geordies.

Andriy Rusol looks a top defender, and his contract apparently expired yesterday (1st Jan, 2009). However, I can’t offer him a contract and he’s still worth 4m apparently. It’s been suggested that this is a glitch in the Matrix, and that it’s impossible to sign him. But I’m going to try and unsettle him by declaring my interest anyway. I’m sneaky like that.

Chanda Mwamba is a 20 year old Zambian centre mid with solid creative stats and a low low price tag of 140k. Can’t help but be interested. Might sign him just for the hell of it and see what happens.

Vaclav Kadlek is a 16 year old Sparta Prague striker who’s on the transfer list for some reason. Won’t help me this year, but looks like a wonderkid waiting to happen. Should be available for less than half a mil.

Genero Zeefuik is an 18 year old Dutch striker with PSV, currently on loan at the oddly named Omniworld. Again, looks like a player for the future.

Obviously, these are all on the cheap. Selling Martins would at least give me some proper cash to spend. John Fleck might be an option should that happen, and former “new Pele” Nilmar is also a possibility. Any suggestions for fast as lightning strikers costing no more than £10m?