Newcastle Transfer News: Alan Pardew Fears Relegation Without Signings
The Sun. The Magpies boss was said to be shocked when Newcastle's "fantastic offer" for striker Loic Remy was knocked back before the Frenchman joined relegation-rivals QPR this week, and Pardew suspects R's manager Harry Redknapp paid over the odds for him. He said:
There was a little bit of shock over Remy. I was disappointed. We put a lot of work into it. We made a fantastic offer to the player and he didnt arrive. This club is on a strong financial footing but were not going to pay silly money to anybody.Newcastle desperately need a new striker after losing top goalscorer Demba Ba to Chelsea at the start of the month, leaving the club looking bereft in the goal scoring department. And Pardew warned that his side need vital reinforcements if they are to stave off relegation this season after suffering the same fate in 2009. They are currently sitting just two points off the drop zone this season. He said:
We definitely need a player or two in this window to make sure of our Premier League status. Were under a little bit of pressure. I think we shouldn't be lost to the fact that we could be relegated. There are better teams than the one I manage who have gone down and I could argue QPRs squad, on paper, is stronger than ours in terms of depth."Saint-Etiennes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and PSV Eindhovens Jeremain Lens have been linked with a move to St James' Park recently as Pardew looks to add to his signing of defender Mathieu Debuchy. The Magpies boss is also positive about the future of club captain Fabricio Coloccini, who has reportedly asked to leave so he can return to Argentina. He said:
Were going to sit down and, hopefully, iron out the issues and come to a conclusion where Colo stays. There is obviously a problem there and the best way to deal with that sometimes is to be on a football pitch and playing your best football. Footballers can find a sanctuary on the football pitch and play through unbelievable problems.