10 Shocking Newcastle United Departures That No One Saw Coming

10. Demba Ba (Sold To Chelsea January In 2013)

The transfer of Demba Ba to Chelsea in January 2013 was a tough one to take for most Geordies. The striker had swiftly become a fan favourite on Tyneside and scored 29 league goals during his 54 appearances for the club. Ba scored hat-tricks against Blackburn and Stoke and by January 2012 he was the second top scorer in the league behind Manchester United's Robin van Persie. Fellow countryman, Papiss Cisse joined him in the 2012 transfer window and the pair guided Newcastle to a fifth place finish in the Premier League with Ba finishing as the Magpies' top goalscorer for the season. The 30-year-old continued his form into the new season and scored a fantastic volley against Tottenham in the first game of the season. By Christmas his tally was 13 goals in 20 games. Lovely stuff. All of a sudden a contract clause had started to get mentioned and on January 2nd 2013, Alan Pardew confirmed this stating that the transfer was a done deal and that Ba would move to Chelsea (who were managed by Rafa Benitez at the time and didn't really need the striker) with the club's blessing. Newcastle United went on to finish in 16th place in the Premier League, while Ba's time at Chelsea ended with him scoring seven goals in 33 games and moving to Besiktas in 2014.