3. Mehdi Abeid
Likely Fee: LOAN Make no mistake, Abeid is going to be a star: he has a similar running style to Hatem Ben Arfa, though perhaps without the honed skill-set, and he is very highly rated at St James Park. He is also slightly inexperienced, with only a couple of first team appearances to his name, and the likes of Cheick Tiote, Yohan Cabaye, the rejuvenated James Perch and fellow starlet Haris Vuckic ahead of him, as well as whoever is brought in to deal with the hole left by Danny Guthrie's decision not to sign a new contract. The solution will likely see either Vuckic or Abeid sent out on loan this season, and with Vuckic having spent part of last year at Cardiff City, and showing flashes of brilliance in his few first team performances, it would be more valuable to send Abeid out to pick up either Championship or lower Premier League experience at least until January. If he flourishes, as we suspect he will, Newcastle will have a star on their hands, and this season might be the best opportunity to see whether that will be sooner rather than later.