Big Summer Ahead For Clubs In Northeast England
The season is over and for the next three months we now have to endure a long agonising summer of football rumour and speculation.
No matter what team you support, feelings are generally the same please God let us keep our best players and sign some good new ones. For the two northeast clubs in the Premier League, Newcastle and Sunderland, the next two months holds particular importance and will shape the clubs not just next season but also in the years to follow.
Both Newcastle and Sunderland are at a point that a lot of clubs find themselves at, they have both sold their best strikers to other teams for big money and as a result both have had, at best, mixed results in the second half of the seasons.
In the end both clubs managed to avoid being dragged down into a relegation fight and finished comfortably in mid table. But just how ambitious both boards are going be in the transfer market is still unclear.
Newcastle United
The Toon are one of the most interesting and beloved clubs in the Premiere League. Their obsession with the game and their tag of unlucky losers has connected with the general football public in a way that few clubs do and has meant that they are often seen as people’s second team. But this is somewhat of a patronising view of a club as big as Newcastle. And while their fans are grateful for a season in the Premiership away from the relegation zone, they won’t accept many more seasons of mid table obscurity and a blunted strike force.
Their fans are not crazy, they know they’re not a top four team and they know that they will have to rebuild slowly and at the right pace, but rebuild they must.
After the sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool, Newcastle were forced to scrape through the remainder of the season with a fairly unremarkable group of strikers.
Manager Alan Pardew admitted as much in the final months of the season, going on record to state that they will be looking to add better attacking players to the squad this summer.
Reports in France suggest that they are to move for highly rated Lorient striker Kevin Gameiro, these reports have been rubbished by the club and it would now seem the French centre forward could be off to Valencia.
Newcastle will need better strikers if they are to progress, that much is certain. How much Mike Ashley is willing to invest in the squad in transfer fees and in wages is still yet to be seen.
As for the rest of the squad, this summer seems to be more about hanging onto the better players rather than going out and revamping the squad.
There is much talk about Jose Enrique being sold, with Liverpool a possible destination for the Spanish left back. Joey Barton has been told he will not be offered a new contract when his runs out next summer. Whether this means he will be sold this summer is still unclear.
The Magpies have also let go two older fringe players, Sol Campbell and Shefki Kuqi, releasing more funds in wages for any new arrivals. The club have also made their first signing of the summer with the capture of 18 year old Lens midfielder Mehdi Abeid.
Sunderland
If ever a club had a mixed season in the Premier League then it was Sunderland last term. Their excellent first half of the season was balanced out with their truly dreadful end to the campaign.
And yet despite this awful run of results, thanks to a final day win away at West Ham, they managed to finish the season in the top ten and ahead of bitter rivals Newcastle.
A major factor behind this slump was the unprecedented nature of their injury situation that crippled the squad so badly. These injuries, plus the sale of their best goal scorer Darren Bent, meant that there hasn’t been much to cheer so far in 2011 for the Sunderland faithful.
This summer will bring renewed optimism for The Black Cat’s supporters. Since Ellis Short’s arrival at the club Steve Bruce has been well backed in the transfer market and there are signs that this summer the club could invest in the first team once again.
West Ham are apparently unhappy at reports of Sunderland sniffing around Demba Ba, these reports have been dismissed by Chairman Niall Quinn but the arrival a striker does look to be a sure thing. Although Gyan is still at the club, Sunderland have lost both Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones in the past year and with Danny Wellbeck back at Man Utd and seemingly not returning next season, the need for extra cover up front is of paramount importance.
The rest of the squad will also need to be looked and assessed in the off season in order to prevent another slide like last season from happening. All ready Coventry City goalkeeper Keiren Westwood has been identified as a possible back up to Craig Gordon with Irish keeper available on a free transfer.
Last season’s loan transfer of Sulley Muntari won’t be turned into a permanent one as the Inter Milan midfielder is seen to be too expensive. Since the Ghanaian midfielder won’t be at the Stadium of Light next season don’t be surprised to see Sunderland make moves for a midfielder during the summer.
Another loanee from last season who looks unlikely to come back is Nedum Onuoha. The Man City defender is likely to be sold this summer but it is unclear at what club he will end up at. One loan transfer that could be made permanent is John Mensah, with The Black Cats reportedly keen to sign the Ghanian from Lyon. Though with other clubs such as Glasgow Rangers sniffing around the centre back, his future, like Onuoha’s, remains unclear.
It should be a busy time then for clubs in the north east. Like all clubs in the league they are in need of strengthening. And for both sides it is up front that needs the most attention. Don’t be surprised to read of both clubs going after the same players and for a tug of war to ensue during this summer break. After all, for many, transfer speculation is the real sport that we love.
