Fans concerned at mindless spending as Hristov smashes transfer record again
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Rob Lee
Published at 11:15PM, July 22 2013
I have criticized the current regime at Tyneside for refusing to invest a number of times and I really didn't see such a massive turn of tide coming. The figures of authority should not take this as flattery though and I am proud to see the fans recognize the same issues I have with what's going at Saint James' Park.
Newcastle smashed the club record fee for the second day in a row by securing the services of Argentinean fullback
Gino Peruzzi (21) in a mad, mad
24.5m pounds deal with
Catania. I really fail to see how such a young player justifies this hefty price tag, especially considering the Italians bought him from Velez for just 2.9m pounds less than a month ago!!! It is little comfort Newcastle will have to pay 9.25m pounds straight cash and the rest will be due over the next 48 months - another worrying trend the club seems to have developed on the market under Hristov. I never thought I'd say this but Ashley's previous policy of keeping the club debt-free in terms of transfers seems so rational now!
Who is Peruzzi? He emerged through the Velez youth ranks two seasons ago and played 33 games with 1 goal since. He also picked up 5 full international caps which convinced Catania to bring him in Europe before Newcastle moved in to give the Italians a financial windfall they hardly dreamt for. What is even more mind boggling is we already have a fully capable right back in the face of Mathieu Debuchy so I have to ask - did we just pay this monstrous fee for a player set for the bench?! We have usually been branded delusional but believe me nobody in the North East believes we are Manchester City or Gino Peruzzi is Leo Messi. Nobody except Hristov.
The more serious allegations are Hristov turned down much cheaper youngsters available on the market like Nathaniel Clyne and Seamus Coleman (and he admitted he has been tracking them). I really don't understand why overpriced Peruzzi was pursued ahead of up and coming homegrown Coleman who seems to be equally gifted and developed?
Hristov is set for further controversy as
Newcastle also announced the third summer signing - promising central midfielder
Mario Pugliese (17) arrives from
Atalanta. Newcastle formally signed the player while he was yet to agree a senior contract with the Italians so the deal only costs
650k pounds in compensation. Thank God, or Hristov would have offered them 10-12 million! Pugliese is an unknown quantity yet as he has never played a senior club game although he managed to record a U21 cap for Italy.
This signing puts forward the uncomfortable question why Gael Bigirimana was sold after impressing so much during his first season at Saint James'. If there is space for development players why not keep him and let him peak before cashing in? Is the Italian teenager better than Gael?
I'll leave that judgment to the readers. Dimiter Hristov naturally deflected all these questions when they were thrown at his face:
Reporter: Mr. Hristov, even with Newcastle's history of shocking deals we certainly didn't expect you to break the club transfer record twice on full backs?
Dimiter Hristov: I already emphasized on the importance of this position for the formation we will integrate at the club so I find it normal to spend the majority of our budget on it.
Reporter: Excuse me but how does anything with that transfer fit the word "normal"? You are aware Gino Peruzzi's price is overly inflated only because of his recent move to the club you bought him from, right? Everybody - pundits, fellow managers, even your own fans - are petrified at this transfer! Newcastle dedicated blogs are full of articles asking why you didn't opt for established Premier League players like Clyne or Coleman instead...
Dimiter Hristov: We did our due diligence here. Both Clyne and Coleman have been thoroughly scouted and we judged a number of factors when we made the final decision who to pursue. Their homegrown status was countered by the fact they would struggle to fill the specific role we would ask them to play here. Don't get me wrong, both of them are fine players and would probably improve over time but we judged Peruzzi has a great headstart in terms of current ability and can develop way beyond either of them. There is another factor here - the initial fees we got quoted for Nathaniel and Seamus by their clubs weren't far off what we paid for Gino.
Reporter: Err if you say so... But did you really need such an expensive player when you already have Debuchy, a full French international?
Dimiter Hristov: One of the weaknesses in this team in the past has been the lack of cover at fullback. Mathieu is a great player but he is the only natural right back in the squad so getting him top competition was high up in my priorities from the start.
Reporter: What about the signing of Pugliese? Did you have to get rid of Bigirimana, an early fan favourite, considering he adapted so well to the rigors of English football?
Dimiter Hristov: Mario is a strategic buy. Our scouting crew believes he will develop into much better player than Gael. I understand the fan feelings on the subject but I have to consider what is best for the club, both in the short and long term future. As for selling Gael - ideally I would have sent him out on loan but he was never going to make it to my first team and I preferred to be fair to the lad and give him an opportunity to develop somewhere else. A lot of managers keep hold of their young players even if they see they have no future at the club and the lads end up wasting years of what is a short professional career. In addition, the fee we received allows us to reshape the squad a little more.
Reporter: As you opened that topic, with a large chunk of your budget already gone, do you believe you will be able to secure the players you need in this window? The fans have been waiting for a striker or two and all this money could have been invested there instead...
Dimiter Hristov: It has all been planned to the smallest details. You can trust me on that, one thing you can give me credit for is I'm extremely meticulous. We are making progress but we're nowhere near being done in the market.
That's exactly what I fear. Where will Newcastle be financially when Hristov is "done"? And what happens when the owner flips the coin again and decides his eccentric managerial choice is yet another flop?
Gino Peruzzi transfer verdict: 6.5/10 - this rating would be much higher if the fee wasn't so monstrous.
Mario Pugliese transfer verdict: 6.0/10 - young prospect on cheap, little risk involved - time will show if this move was good or bad.
We also keep tracking the transfer budget Hristov promised would be reinvested straight in the squad. The transfer fees for Gino Peruzzi (9.25m pounds) and Mario Pugliese (650k pounds) have been deducted from the pot:
Newcastle transfer budget: 19.28m pounds (9.36m initial)
