According to Sky Sports, Newcastle and unwanted sister club Rangers (seriously, who wants that deal if it means Mike Ashley is the unifying tie) are working on a deal to send four or five fringe players to Scotland as part of Ashley's link to both clubs. Newcastle have been inevitably quiet this window, with only Davide Santon and Mapou Yanga Mbiwa moving out (as well as Hatem Ben Arfa's release), but now it seems they're quietly trying to ship out as many players as possible. Which will suit pretty much nobody at Newcastle, given how small the squad is. But when you think about it, there are a few players on the Magpies books who would immediately look like good options for Rangers: they're nowhere near the first team and they could do a job in the Scottish second tier. If it means Rangers get into the Scottish Premier League and Mike Ashley is forced to make a decision between the two clubs sooner rather than later it might appeal a little more to the Toon Army. It would seem that the five unwanted players would probably include Shane Ferguson, Gael Bigirimana and perhaps Jonas Gutierrez who isn't wanted but who comes with the problem of his recent medical problems, while Remie Streete could go since he was on loan earlier this season before injuries meant he had to return. The potential fifth is a little less clear; it could be Curtis Good who has disappeared off the map entirely, or it could be someone like Adam Armstrong, who might benefit from a goal-scoring run, with first team chances limited at Newcastle by Papiss Cisse and Ayoze Perez, or Haris Vuckic. Knowing Newcastle fans' luck it will be Moussa Sissoko, Ayoze Perez, Massadio Haidara, Daryl Janmaat and Tim Krul.
