Almost all of us agree that we need another commanding defensive midfielder to add more of a physical presence to our side as we look a bit lightweight without Song. They also need to be a leader, someone who is good at organising the defence and is disciplined. Some suggestions for this role are:
A.Diarra
At 29 he does not seem like a Wenger type signing however being French should be enough to cancel that out. A strong and combative midfielder who is captain of the French national team (thereby having a lot of influence within the squad) he seems perfect for us. Whilst Bordeaux may not be eager to sell their captain as they are 9th in Ligue 1 he may force the issue like Koscielny did. Likely price: has 7.5 million euro release clause apparently.
Felipe Melo
An aggressive enforcer Melo would certainly add a bit more bite in to our midfield. He was looked at a few seasons ago but was deemed too expensive, some average season at Juventus may have lowered his price tag though. At 27 he is the perfect blend of experience and youth. Has a poor disciplinary record but so did Keon et al. Likely price: ã15 mill
Cheik Tiote
If we are willing to spend a lot of money then he could be a target. A tireless and positionally excellent DM Tiote is one of the signings of the season. However he has signed a new contract recently and Newcastle are unlikely to sell their 2 best players in the same season which means we may be better off looking elsewhere. Likely price ã20 million
Lee Cattermole
Ok i'm sort of scraping the barrel here but we could make worse signings than him (and have, remember Silvestre?
). Loves kicking people and is seemingly allergic to not getting booked in games but that may not be too bad a thing in our current situation. He would want a move upwards and he has leadership experience from being captain at Sunderland. Maybe he would be a bit out of his depth here but I could be wrong. Likely price: ã13 mill.
So, anyone else have any ideas on who to get?
P.S. The prices for players I have used are completely made up but I think they are largely accurate
A.Diarra
At 29 he does not seem like a Wenger type signing however being French should be enough to cancel that out. A strong and combative midfielder who is captain of the French national team (thereby having a lot of influence within the squad) he seems perfect for us. Whilst Bordeaux may not be eager to sell their captain as they are 9th in Ligue 1 he may force the issue like Koscielny did. Likely price: has 7.5 million euro release clause apparently.
Felipe Melo
An aggressive enforcer Melo would certainly add a bit more bite in to our midfield. He was looked at a few seasons ago but was deemed too expensive, some average season at Juventus may have lowered his price tag though. At 27 he is the perfect blend of experience and youth. Has a poor disciplinary record but so did Keon et al. Likely price: ã15 mill
Cheik Tiote
If we are willing to spend a lot of money then he could be a target. A tireless and positionally excellent DM Tiote is one of the signings of the season. However he has signed a new contract recently and Newcastle are unlikely to sell their 2 best players in the same season which means we may be better off looking elsewhere. Likely price ã20 million
Lee Cattermole
Ok i'm sort of scraping the barrel here but we could make worse signings than him (and have, remember Silvestre?
). Loves kicking people and is seemingly allergic to not getting booked in games but that may not be too bad a thing in our current situation. He would want a move upwards and he has leadership experience from being captain at Sunderland. Maybe he would be a bit out of his depth here but I could be wrong. Likely price: ã13 mill.So, anyone else have any ideas on who to get?
P.S. The prices for players I have used are completely made up but I think they are largely accurate
