The ones who already want a move and a nice pay cheque to go with it might.
Could easily see the likes of Coutinho, Dembele and Umtiti being tempted from Barca alone. Pay them enough and they’ll put ambitions aside, just like all those players that disappeared to China a few years back.
The difference now is that I imagine there’ll be a close eye on Newcastle’s spending and finances than there was when Chelsea and City got taken over. They may well be able to add one or two star names but the improvements in the squad will need to be more gradual. Ox could well be someone that falls into that first batch to help them take that initial step forward.
Coutinho, Renato Sanchez, dembele, James Rodriguez, all the failed big money transfers get another last chance saloon at Newcastle (the almost galacticos- it’d be entertaining addition to the league)
This is the mold. Robinho did not come because he was sold on the city project. He moved because his move to Real was a bust and they were trying to get rid of him and he needed to go somewhere who would pay his wages. In terms of sporting success it had essentially 0 impact on their resulting success. It was the far less glamourous signings of Kompany, SWP, and Zabaletta that made a real impact. Not to mention the organic improvement under Sven with the players they already had like Dunne, Richards and Ireland. Even then it took a series of bridging the gap signings like Barry, Bridge, Lescott etc to push them from decent midtable to challenging to the point that they were attractive enough for real players like Silva and Aguero to be interested.
Basically, City were already a better side than Newcastle are now when their Arab money showed up, and while they at times spent frivolously looking for PR, it was the rational club building and step by step approach that got them to the point where there were a good enough project to land the quality of players their money could afford them. Newcastle trying to copy them and go the Robinho route with the likes of Phil, Dembele…high priced cast offs looking for somewhere to pay their wages…is exactly the wrong lesson to learn, but the path of least resistance.
I think it will be that too, however, I can’t shake off remembering Alf Inge Haaland in a Man City shirt, and imagining the son following suit. Gives me chills to think about it, as it will take Man a city to another level again.
I think there’s a definitely an element of PR about those types of signings. Robinho might not have worked out for City but would the likes of Kompany and SWP been swayed in those subsequent years had City initially gone out and bought someone with less star power at that time? Would Tevez have gone there when he did if they hadn’t made a big splash initially.
I think it shows a degree of intent and pulling power that other players then gravitate to. The first few might not be right but a big names have pulling power for other players but those first few are likely to be a bit more money motivated in order to see it as a desirable option.
I expect they’ll perhaps not fall into the exact same trap but there will now be agents working to try and get their players in there and no doubt a new manager will want some new toys too.
I know its just an example, but both Kompany and SWP were signed before Robinho. They were all the same summer, but they were signed earlier in the summer before the take over, with Robinho signed on deadline day the day of (or after) the takeover was completed (after Kaka turned them down).
When you look at who they then signed the following year there is no one on the list of players they brought in who youd argue were unobtainable without the Robinho PR making them seem a big deal. Tevez was the highest profile, but that was really a massive fuck you to Fergie. The more important point I think is those lesser profile players were actually good signings who helped push them from mid table to contenders and it was those boring signings (Barry, Lescott, Kolo) who then paved the way for the Silvas and Agueros as by that time they were a legit CL contending side.
Kompany was at City before the takeover. They were a half-decent team. Better than Newcastle currently but not the same fan base. It will be years before Newcastle are challenging regularly. The top players have more money than they’ll ever need and want the top honours and CL every year, I.e. not Newcastle
Also, the more I think about this, the more I think the big clubs in the Premier League and across Europe will be looking to get that drawbridge up as quick as possible.
I would not be surprised to Newcastle’s path to glory hampered by increased constraints on spending.
Doku can do stuff that very few players in the world can do. He went around Italian defenders for fun and scared the living daylights out of them in the Euros. His athletic gifts give him an excellent platform to be a devastating player.
However… Still raw, and the decision making, as a footballer, is not top level.
Which is to say with our coaching we can help him improve the footballer stuff, while he brings his athletic gifts to the party.
Unless we are able to pay stupid money for players, the likes of Doku make a lot of sense.
