Even in silly season, the decision to consider Jose Enrique as an apparently legitimate short term option to bolster Newcastle's defensive options was a particularly strange one. The player has had a disastrous time recently with Liverpool and he looks a shadow of the player who stood out in Newcastle's first season back in the Premier League under Chris Hughton and Alan Pardew. Ultimately, it turns out he's not going to sign - apparently thanks to the Magpies' reluctance to give him a long enough deal - and is now going to wait for his contract to run down. Beggars can be choosers, it seems. But why were Newcastle even considering the deal? He's not the same player as he once was and if Newcastle are looking for a longer term option for left-back, signing him would be a bad idea for all parties. The suggestion that he was only offered a short term deal says everything you need to know about how the club considered him. Would he be an improvement on Paul Dummett? Possibly as a left-back, because his positional sense is superior and he's a more complete full-back. He can go forward a lot more and he's not frightened of the ball, which Dummett tends to struggle with. Or at least, that's what Enrique USED to offer: now there's no saying whether he'd even be on the pace. So you have to applaud Newcastle for not pushing this one through: though there might be a new agenda to sign older players for the first team, they still have to have a present value, nevermind a future one. Would you have liked to see Jose Enrique sign for Newcastle? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
