10 Transfers Where Newcastle Dodged A Bullet

7. Luis Boa Morte

It was a transfer saga that rumbled on for much of the summer nine years ago, as Graeme Souness embarked on the revamp of a Newcastle squad he clearly didn€™t fancy. Having tried and failed to land Fulham winger Luis Boa Morte in January 2005, with the former Arsenal midfielder retorting with an extension to his contract at Craven Cottage, Souness returned once more in the summer. This time, the 27 year old wideman responded more positively.

''Representing Newcastle is different from being at Fulham. It۪s a bigger club with more projection and which has other ambitions. Who doesn۪t aim to play at a great club, which takes part regularly in European competitions?۪۪ - Luis Boa Morte, July 2005.

With Newcastle offering £3.5 million for his signature, Fulham boss Chris Coleman baulked at the fee, demanding that the club stump up at least £5 million for his prized asset.

''If Luis wants to join Newcastle and Newcastle want to buy Luis Boa Morte then they are going to have to pay a hell of a lot of money for him. I€™m sick of all the talk in all honesty, that Newcastle are bidding £3 million. You won€™t even get his boots for that. They need to put their money on the table. Otherwise they have got to shut up and let us get on with the season.€™€™ - Chris Coleman, August 2005.

In the end, Newcastle turned their attentions elsewhere, signing the likes of Albert Luque, Nolberto Solano and Michael Owen instead. While two of those players flopped, Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd will feel he had a lucky escape with potentially adding a third, if Boa Morte€™s career is anything to go by. He would last 18 more months at Fulham, before signing for West Ham in January 2007, where he performed as a pale shadow of the dynamic, breathtaking, flair player that he once was. Slow, turgid and dogged with injuries, his time at Upton Park was a nightmare, and he only ever did manage to bag two league goals in five seasons.