10 Strangest Ever Newcastle United Signings

3. Shefki Kuqi

Famous for marking his goals with a bellyflop, Kuqi embodied his trademark celebration during an ineffectual four-month stint on Tyneside. Many an eyebrow was raised in February 2010 when the Flying Finn, a free agent after cancelling his contract with Swansea, was signed as a stopgap by Alan Pardew to plug the hole left by Andy Carroll just 10 days after his crushing £35 million transfer to Liverpool.

Shola Ameobi's fractured cheekbone also necessitated the need for striking reinforcements but the pickings were slim in the unattached aisle post-transfer window. What exactly a 34-year-old journeyman of 13 clubs would bring to a post-Carroll dressing room was anyones guess at the time. As it turned out not very much, totalling just 43 minutes in six substitute appearances in black and white.

Most of his cameos came with the objective of unsettling the opposition defence although, in truth, he was a waste of a salary. Kuqi, obviously, couldn't believe his luck when we came calling, saying: "I don't really have the words to describe how happy I am. To get this chance is a massive thing for me."