Newcastle Transfers: 10 Big Deals Linked For January Already

5. Paul-Georges Ntep

Linked By: The Chronicle Sometimes it's hard to judge whether to believe the local papers, since they're still banned, but there seems no value in them making up the link to this Stades Rennais player. Inevitably, Newcastle are keeping a close eye on the France U21 side, and the pacy striker seems to have suggested himself as a good bet for January. Chances? It all depends on who you think is in charge of recruitment. Alan Pardew maintains that signing too many young, unproven foreigners is the wrong approach (partly because he doesn't know how to develop them), but the club seem to still be committed to buying young, affordable continental options under Graham Carr. If it's Pardew, his call for experience would surely rule Ntep out, but you wouldn't put it past Carr to have identified another growing talent.