Towards the end of last season, with Alan Pardew struggling badly to get any kind of result out of his team, Christophe Galtier was linked with an unexpected move to Newcastle as his replacement in waiting. Some reports even went as far as to say the club had approached Galtier, and indeed that his services had been offered to the Magpies, though "sources close" to him inevitably talked it down. And with Pardew a lot more "settled" - or unjustly untouchable more appropriately - talk died down. But now, L'Equipe - via le10sport - are once more suggesting Newcastle as a possible destination for Galtier next season. They say that Marseille and Newcastle are strong contenders for his affections, but with Marcelo Bielsa doing well in France, it's unlikely they will have a vacancy any time soon. Newcastle, on the other hand, are still in a precarious position, almost at the ten game review point and as le10sport put it, Pardew is "still on trial". When asked, Galtier all but confirmed that he actually had been approached in the summer, and reading between the lines, you'd suspect it was possibly by Newcastle (forgive the ropey English, but that's Google Translate for you):
"I did not want to make the season too here I wondered if I could do better, if I had the strength, energy and desire. It took me five days. Five days that I did not used to negotiate with other clubs. I swear not. Proposals, I received, but I put them all aside. All without exception. Only my wife and I have discussed my personal situation and, after five days, I said yes."
So he may have been approached, but he turned down all the proposals to stay with St Etienne? It was inevitable that the Frenchman would draw some attention after guiding his side to fourth in the league last season, and both Marseille and Newcastle have been linked with serious interest in him. The highly-rated Frenchman has some previous working in the UK, having been part of Alain Perrin's coaching set-up at Portsmouth. He would represent the kind of emerging talent manager that Newcastle would need, and his French link would presumably help with the strong French element at the club. Time will tell whether Pardew is still at the club by Christmas, but if he is not, Newcastle could do a lot worse than to snap Galtier up.