10 Players Nobody Expected Newcastle To Sign

By Michael Ramsay / October 7, 2014

5. Antoine Sibierski

If ever chairman Freddy Shepherd pulled off an underwhelming signing during his time on Tyneside, it took the form of a bald-headed centre-forward acquired on a free transfer from Manchester City. With the club having just lost club icon and record goal-scorer Alan Shearer to retirement, surely the Tyneside outfit would be in the market for a couple of strikers. Having nipped in to sign Obafemi Martins from Inter Milan for £10 million, names of the ilk of Miroslav Klose were bandied about as potential other targets, before boss Glenn Roeder plumped for a 32 year old who had scored 11 goals in 92 games for City. Supporters were as surprised as they were confused at the clubs apparent lack of ambition in the market, to sign a player who had failed to dislodge a 34 year old Andy Cole from a poor Manchester City side.

''I had just left Manchester City and only heard bad things being said about me there. Some City fans were quick to criticise me and thats all I was thinking about when I signed for Glenn Roeder. I didnt have time to think about what the Newcastle supporters may or may not think. I was just so hurt by the reaction of the City fans. I didnt think too much about the fact that Newcastle fans were unhappy with my signing. - Antoine Sibierski, March 2007.

While City supporters may have been dancing in the street upon his street, and Geordies simultaneously groaning in disbelief, the supposedly profligate Frenchman put in several solid and commensal displays for the Magpies, forming a reliable partnership with Nigerian hit-man Obafemi Martins during Michael Owens absences.