10 Players Who Turned Down Big Moves To Join Newcastle

7. Ayoze Perez - Porto

At one point last season, Spanish prospect Ayoze Perez had both Real Madrid and Porto racing for his signature, so quite what compelled him to sign for Newcastle remains something of a mystery. But sign he did this summer, as Alan Pardew prepared for his first season without trundling talisman Shola Ameobi and clearly wanted someone to come on for 6 minutes a game - just enough to get warmed up, but not enough to make any real impact on the game. While Madrid's firm interest had apparently cooled in the Tenerife striker, Portuguese giants Porto were apparently still very much interested in the striker and had made a firm bid for his services. The fact that he chose to accept Newcastle's offer - presumably because he wrongly thought he would be given more first-team opportunities - looks at the minute to be something of a misstep, as his potential is being ignored even as Newcastle struggle to create chances. Had he joined Porto, he could have become one of the latest players to benefit from their brilliant coaching set-up that has nurtured some of the game's most explosive and expensive forwards. Instead, he now gets to watch set-pieces hoofed onto Mike Williamson's head from the bench.