Newcastle fans march against Hristov&Co as captain Colo, Obertan and Gosling are sold - who is next?
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Rob Lee
Published at 8:44PM, July 13 2013
The planned peaceful protest march against Mike Ashley, Joe Kinnear and Dimiter Hristov turned into a frightening frenzy as news broke out
Newcastle have sold three more players. Cult defender and club captain
Fabricio Coloccini (31) has packed his bags and leaves what now feels more like a battlefield than a football club for Roma in a
7.0m pounds deal, all up front.
The influential defender spent last five seasons with the club and earned a cult status amongst the Geordie faithful after sticking with the team through a full season in the Championship after the notorious relegation in 2009. He made 163 league appearances and scored 4 goals. I cannot but wish him the best and hopefully he will be able to do with Roma what he won't have a chance here - win a trophy.
Gabriel Obertan (24) has signed with Crystal Palace in a
6.75m pounds deal, all up front.
Gabriel never quite lived up to his early potential but provided useful cover on the wings, playing 37 games during his two years with Newcastle. He also scored a single goal.
Dan Gosling (23) is another fringe player to move on in an attempt to revitalize his career. Dan signed for Bournemouth for a fee of
2.1m pounds, all up front.
Gosling was haunted by injuries during his three seasons with the Magpies and only managed 16 appearances, scoring one goal against Manchester City.
While the likes of Obertan and Gosling are hardly going to be missed, Hristov threw a major blunder by failing to keep the most influential defender at his hands. The fans are rightly worried this transfer may be followed by an exodus of our prized assets - who will be next? Ben Arfa? Cabaye? Santon? Rumors are all of them have attracted interest from the big clubs and they will be hardly impressed with the way Hristov has handled their captain. He admitted his hands were tied in this particular situation:
Reporter: The fans were already asking for your head but now they are really ******. Doesn't selling an important player as Coloccini, a big fan favourite, feel like a bad move after your promise to keep hold of Newcastle's stars?
Dimiter Hristov: First of all I want to stress I would have kept Colo is I had the slightest chance to do so, he was always in my plans when I came in here. The thing is there was a pre-existing situation with him which I believe is well documented. He was very honest with me on day one that he wants to leave due to personal problems. Once they tell you that there isn't much you can do. No point keeping an unhappy player in the squad. I don't want to dwell on this though as once we agreed we have to part ways, we did everything right from that point forward. We have received a large fee and a sizable amount of wage budget has been released to sign a replacement.
Reporter: Do you have faith you will be able to replace your captain so easily?
Dimiter Hristov: I never said it would be easy but I'm not looking to hide from the responsibility it must be done. And it will be done.
Reporter: There is genuine fear more key players will ask to leave the club now as soon as big clubs come knocking at their door.
Dimiter Hristov: I absolutely guarantee no other first-tier players will leave this football club. There will be more sales but Krul, Tiote, Cabaye, Santon, Ben Arfa and a few others are the backbone of this team and I need them here. You will see some more fringe players leave though.
Reporter: You keep calling them fringe players but Alan Pardew was often criticized over the lack of depth in the squad. How much more can you really cut after selling Elliot, Gosling and Obertan?
Dimiter Hristov: The numbers will not be a problem. It is the quality we need to address. I understand the fans but it will work out in the end - I won't call to be patient but don't rush to conclusions either!
Thing is, Mr. Hristov, you can't play a squad of 16 in a league as demanding as the Premiership. While I hate to do so I also need to mention something else our club insider shared with us. Hristov has used his contacts with the agents to
cut down the wages of all youngsters at the club to 1 pound weekly! He has done so by throwing in a clause that would sky-rocket the wages if they play between 10-15 games for the first team. The penny-pinching at Newcastle reaches new levels under Ashley and Hristov!!! I can tell you these boys will get nowhere near the first team now - can you see the likes of Streete, Mbabu and Dummett getting a wage hike to 50,000 pounds? Hristov was even proud of his strategy,
claiming it releases up to 40,000 pounds of wage budget - to be used on what? Stop ruining our club, Mr. Hristov!!!
Fabricio Coloccini transfer verdict: 3.0/10 - the only reason this deal isn't a 1.0 is the large fee Newcastle commanded for a figure everyone will sorely miss in the North East. Let's also mention the club now only has three senior central defenders available so additional cover issues may arise during the season.
Gabriel Obertan transfer verdict: 9.0/10 - despite the negativity this deal has to be praised for the sheer fee the club managed to get for Obertan.
Dan Gosling transfer verdict: 5.0/10 - nothing special to mention here. Time to move on, sometimes it just doesn't work out.
We also keep tracking the transfer budget Hristov promised would be reinvested straight in the squad. 90% of the transfer fees have been added to the pot:
Newcastle transfer budget: 24.80m pounds (9.36m initial)
I think you can cut short to screenshots of results and few lines when you start the season, I'm loving the silly season drama.