10 Players Who Didn't Fulfil Their Potential At Newcastle
8. Lomana LuaLua
"I see as a special talent. He has to learn how to play with the other players but he's a special new talent. He has to be nursed and cherished and taught. But we are buying long-term a very promising talent, a very promising player."
Those were the words Sir Bobby Robson uttered when he had watched LuaLua before negotiating his transfer from Colchester United. In Bobbys defence, LuaLua had bags of potential. Unfortunately during his time at Newcastle United, LuaLua had to compete with the likes of Shearer, Bellamy and Ameobi. He had a pocket of time where he had hit goalscoring form for The Magpies but that was surrounded by many substitute appearances and poor form when he did start. He had joined when Newcastle had managed to find form under Robson and were finishing in European qualification places in the league.
Unfortunately, while LuaLua had potential, he also was stunted at the club by Robsons reliance on Shearer and Bellamy, which saw him have limited opportunities, and when he called Sir Bobby out on this, he essentially ended his own career at Newcastle.
He had claimed he was not into football just for the money and wanted to play games, but then proceeded to travel all over the world to different clubs in the middle east and Turkey/Greece to prove that he does in fact play for money mainly. He is currently plying his trade for Turkish club aykur Rizespor. Definitely a lost talent.