Newcastle Transfers: 5 Reasons Pardew MUST Keep Demba Ba

With speculation rife that Demba Ba could be the subject of attention from rival clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool in the January transfer window, we've compiled 5 reasons why Magpies boss Alan Pardew must do everything in his power to retain the services of Newcastle's current top scorer.

1. Progression

Whether it be promotion, safety, a European place or a trophy the only way to ultimately obtain your objectives is continual progression. Following promotion from the Championship in 2009-10 Newcastle managed to ensure safety in 2010-11 by ending the season placed 12th in the Barclays Premier League. 2011/12 then saw further progress as the team managed to prove their doubters wrong, finishing the season in 5th and ensuring the club€™s return to European competition for the first time in over 5 years.

Considering Newcastle€™s present league position however it would appear the club are struggling to emulate the heights of last season and indeed the sale of the current and previous seasons€™ top-scorer would hardly aid their cause.

2. Goals

When all is said and done goals are what win you matches. No matter how leaky your defence, as long as you score more than you concede you€™ll continue to win points. Last season saw a strange phenomenon within the Newcastle team as Demba Ba started the season in blistering form, achieving a whopping 15 goals by February. Following the signature of Papiss Cisse from Freiburg however Ba managed only 1 further goal, scoring during Cisse€™s debut in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. What followed was a barren spell which left Alan Pardew perplexed but which was thankfully masked by the magical performances of Cisse, who himself managed a further 12 goals to end the season with a tally of 13 goals from 13 appearances.

The beginning of the current season however has seen the players reverse roles once again, Ba again starting the season well with a current tally of 11 from 17 appearances and Cisse with only 4 from 18. Were Ba to leave come January, would Cisse be able to reignite the form which earned him many plaudits last season or would his current form merely continue?

Newcastle€™s third (and arguably only remaining) option in the striking department would undoubtedly be Shola Ameobi, a player who has amassed 200 appearances during the last 12 years but scoring an average of only 6 goals per season in the process. It is evident therefore that, should Ba depart for pastures new, ignoring the potential for further injury complications the attacking force of Cisse and Ameobi would likely be insufficient for Newcastle to realistically challenge for their European aspirations.