After a year of notorious inactivity at St. James' Park that coincided quite jarringly with the return of self-proclaimed door-opener Joe Kinnear, Newcastle have so far enjoyed a strong summer of recruitments, and their busy two weeks of activity has continued with the capture of highly-rated Dutch full-back Daryl Janmaat from Feyenoord. The transfer, which comes hot on the tail of the signing of Remy Cabella from Montpellier, was expected to be done yesterday, but the player was apparently way-laid by a mysterious illness (perhaps linked to some extended celebration from the World Cup?) and the player failed to show at the club's Benton training ground for his medical. That has now happened, and not only has the Dutchman successfully undergone his medical, he has also agreed terms with the North East club and follows Jack Colback, Ayoze Perez, Siem De Jong and Cabella into the club to join Alan Pardew's new look first team. https://twitter.com/The_Looney_Toon/statuses/489004713351061504 If as reported Newcastle have got the player for as little as 6 million, then it is a bargain deal for one of the most complete full-backs in Europe right now. He might not possess the pace of other players, but he makes up for it in the rest of his game, with attacking prowess similar to Mathieu Debuchy, who he is undoubtedly replacing, and passing and dribbling skills that will make him a big success in the Premier League when he adapts. He probably won't be able to run forward as much as he was allowed to at Feyenoord, considering the more rigorous defensive demands on full-backs in the Premier League, but his defensive attributes are arguably stronger than Debuchy's - and it is precisely those skills that actually kept himout of the Dutch World Cup starting 11, as Van Gaal opted for a more attacking wing-back role that he gifed unexpectedly to Dirk Kuyt. Debuchy will now surely complete his mooted move to Arsenal - for a fee between £10m and £12m - which represents a good deal for both the player, who was always keen to move to a Champions League side, and for the club, who have seen a profit, and can now bring in a younger player with bags of potential for half the cost. It's times like these when Newcastle fans should be praise the club's approach to transfers - though that remains improbable and difficult considering the wider context. Feyenoord meanwhile are left counting the cost of their success: after seeing their current talented crop enjoy three successful years the squad is being ritually taken to pieces this summer, with Graziano Pelle joining Southampton, Bruno Martins Indi heading to Porto, and the likes of Stefan de Vrij and Jordy Clasie attracting serious interest, not least after Holland's impressive World Cup performance. What do you think of this signing for Newcastle? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
