Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has urged owner Mike Ashley to spend big on a replacement for Demba Ba, or risk another relegation from the Barclay's Premier League, according to a report in The Telegraph. The Magpies were relegated in 2009, and Pardew fears the club will suffer a similar fate unless serious re-investment is made in replacing top goal scorer Demba Ba, who left for Chelsea for an undisclosed fee. The Blues' triggered his release clause for just £7.5 million however, and Pardew is concerned the club will struggle to buy in quality from those proceeds. There are serious concerns over where the goals are going to come from for Newcastle until they replace Ba. After the Senegalese striker, the Magpies' top two goal scorers are Papiss Cisse and Shola Ameobi, who have only managed 9 goals between them. Pardew said:
Mike Ashley has been very supportive, and he has to be even more supportive in this window, and he has to find the extra money for the striker. Were not going to buy a striker for the money weve received for Demba. We try to get the best possible deal for the club, but we do have to take into account where we are. We are in a battle to secure our Premier League status and make no bones about that.
As well as a replacement for Ba, Pardew was also keen to buy in a new defender to shore up a back-line that has conceded 13 goals in three games. Today, Newcastle completed the signing of right-back Mathieu Debuchy, but uncertainty has arisen over the future of centre-back Fabricio Colocini, who reportedly wants a move back to Argentina. Newcastle are two points off 18th placed Wigan.