10 Players Who Regret Leaving Newcastle United

5. Obafemi Martins

The final member of the mass exodus of 2009 to make this list is Oba Martins. It is hard to describe him at all, in terms of talent, he could never be doubted. His unpredictable nature and explosive pace could win you a game in seconds. He was a box of tricks, the type of player that many would want, but perhaps not in a battle to avoid the drop.

In many ways, Martins was tailor-made for success at Newcastle, similarly to N'Zogbia in the way he could get the fans off their seats. Football is an entertainment business and he was a crowd-pleaser. However, his enraging inconsistency and lack of nerve when the things weren't going well left a sour taste in the mouth. There was also one huge question mark that surrounded the Nigerian striker, signed from FC Internazionale for £10 million in 2006 and that was his age.

It is still doubted to this day exactly how old Martins is exactly, which could have played a huge part in Newcastle allowing the striker, who was quoted saying he'd liked to have stayed at the club, to leave for Wolfsberg. One thing is for sure, had Martins stayed at the club, fit and focused, he may have enjoyed more success at Newcastle than he did in the end. Things didn't work out in the Bundesliga, so he moved onto Rubin Kazan.

Perhaps his finest hour came when on loan back in England with Birmingham City, scoring the winning goal in their 2011 Carling Cup triumph over Arsenal, though he wasn't able to prevent their relegation later that year. Now playing in China after a spell with Seattle Sounders in the MLS, his exploits at Birmingham may not point to regret at leaving Newcastle, but his constant moving around, added to by a spell in La Liga with Levante last year, suggest he has struggled to settle since kissing goodbye to St James' Park.