ALAN SHEARER DOUBLE SWOOP

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Americans' caution before buying Mike Ashley's troubled club

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By MARTIN HARDY, 04/07/2009

ALAN SHEARER has this week made his first move as Newcastle's manager-in-waiting by lining up a double swoop for strikers Ched Evans and Fraizer Campbell.

Shearer is likely to be installed by the end of the week as the search for a new owner at St James' Park nears completion.

The former England skipper is favoured by all three groups bidding for control and has begun working behind the scenes to assemble a squad to get straight back into the Premier League.

Available

The list of 10 names that was distributed throughout Europe for players available for transfer was compiled with his blessing.

Key figures Sebastien Bassong, Habib Beye and Steven Taylor were NOT on it, despite concerted efforts to unsettle the trio.

And Shearer has upped the ante this week with a double swoop for the strikers who will replace Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Oba Martins.

Campbell's proposed move to Hull has been on hold for three weeks while a row over money has rumbled on with Manchester United.

Competition

That has given Shearer the chance to ask about the striker, 21. His interest was not discouraged, despite competition from Sunderland boss Steve Bruce.

PRESENCE - Wales international Ched Evans could join Newcastle from Man City

Similarly, he has set the wheels in motion to land Manchester City forward Evans.

The 20-year-old struggled for opportunities at Eastlands last season but bagged 10 goals in 20 starts during a loan spell at Norwich and Shearer wants that kind of physical presence in his front line. He believes he could land the pair for less than £10million.

However, Shearer's annoyance at the length of time it is taking to sort out the club ownership is rising and he has been forced to ask his targets to wait.

Takeover

Keith Harris, the man brokering the sale to end Mike Ashley's disastrous two years in charge, was hopeful a takeover was on the brink of conclusion on Thursday. However, problems over the level of the club's overdraft stalled a deal late on Friday evening.

To speed up the process, Martins and Fabricio Coloccini are set to be sold this week French giants Lyon have lined up Martins as a direct replacement for Karim Benzema, who moved to Real Madrid for £35m. Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg are also interested.

Coloccini, who cost Newcastle a staggering £11m last summer when he arrived from Deportivo la Coruna, is the subject of a £4m bid from Galatasaray.

An American consortium, shown around St James' Park and the club's training facilities on Monday remain in pole position to assume control at Newcastle.

But a Malaysian group, who were in Toon on Thursday, have matched the £80m asking price.

Your comments

This article has 23 comments

I agree with the above, Newcastle going down will be the best thing that has happened in recent times to the club.
Dead wood will be disggarded and a chance for whoever becomes manager to rebuild.
One thing I will add regarding shearer as manager. He has seen a fair few of players from abroad who imo were dismall and i,m sure he will learn from that, and buy young homegrown talent with a bit of hunger about them.
However unless nufc dont sort the ownership mess out promotion next season could be a step too far.

By paul gardener.. Posted July 6 2009 at 1:09 AM.

coloccini welcome GALATASARAY

By Tuna.. Posted July 6 2009 at 1:01 AM.

Coloccini, has made an agreement with galatasaray

By ilhan.. Posted July 6 2009 at 12:36 AM.

is the same newcastle he have been up for sale now for about a year and still nobody has bought you . you have no chance of walking the premier league what with no money ftm

By simon i.. Posted July 5 2009 at 8:21 PM.

Great players dont always make great managers. Cant knock Alans commitment he has a mountain to climb and a mountain of debt to sort. Give them at least 3 seasons before any progress is made and Shearer will be learning the hard way while he's down there, but dont rule him out for a future great.

By Tim Fitz.. Posted July 5 2009 at 6:06 PM.

Best news of the week for me was when I read that my beloved Newcastle United got totally rid of Michael Owen. He was only on Tyneside for the money. He never had the Geordies at his heart, unlike Shearer. I can hardly wait to read that Wor Alan has been reinstated as our manager.

By l=Louis Azzopardi.. Posted July 5 2009 at 12:24 PM.

jack arnold, 'deluded', how exactly? Ah I see, the people we see on SSN and read comments from in the papers are your stereotypical Newcastle fan aren't they?, I see where you're coming from now, Jackass. Surely these players are a bit more realistic both have played at C'Ship level before - or is it just a tinge of envy that again we're being linked with players at a similiar level to the players your lot are (Cattermole, Bramble etc - I'm assuming you're a Sunderland fan given your witty and original Agent Ashley joke). Or, deluded in the sense that C'Ship teams shouldn't be linked with P'Ship players? 1 home win in 30yrs and 1 'successful' season when you finished 2 pts above us wipes out the last 25yrs and you lose the run of yourself, now who's deluded?

By Croz.. Posted July 5 2009 at 9:55 AM.

Newcastle going down is the best thing that could have happened to us- 1- we got a chance of winning a trophy- 2 ashley can sell up, 3- we can get rid of half the muppets in our team. M. owen he says he has been treated as a criminal at ncastle, well a player who earns 120k to play hardly any games and show a clear lack of commitment should be treated as a criminal. perfect role model LOUIS SAHA when he went to Everton he said pay me when i play and he smashed it. Owen will flop at man u!!

By A.sangha.. Posted July 5 2009 at 11:26 AM.

If anyone truly believes that a "manager in waiting" can truly line up players for transfer, and even (laughingly) ask them to hang on for him, before the club is sold , and whilst he hasn't even been appointed as manager, is beyond me!
To talk of £10m offers, when the possible new owners, whoever they may be, haven't even closed the deal, and discussed transfer funds with the new manager, is ridiculous in the extreme!

By MP.. Posted July 5 2009 at 10:32 AM.

Campbell's just had a terrible season at Spurs, he's desperate to prove himself at the top level, so won't entertain playing in the Championship.

By Lambrettaman.. Posted July 5 2009 at 11:05 AM.

"Keith Price you say Shearer had ''NO chance of saving the club (from relegation)''.
Where did I say this exactly, Coley ? You should learn to read before you start slagging people off. Toon will be in the Championship a few years yet

By Keith Price.. Posted July 5 2009 at 10:19 AM.

Give the toon a chane to get the new buyers into the club and we will see from there.we have had enough of the jokes and it's the toon fans who will have the last laugh

By Wooly.. Posted July 5 2009 at 9:37 AM.

The mags buying players,what are they offering a pint of brown and a packet of crisps.

By TREVOR HALL.. Posted July 5 2009 at 8:43 AM.

We will miss the derby games against NUFC next season. If Shearer is given the money,i think they will bounce back at the first attempt.

By Tom Lynn.. Posted July 5 2009 at 8:36 AM.

Its a mess! The man who promised to bring light back to the toon army has only brought misery and darkness. The cockney mafia ripped the heart right out of newcastle united by entering into something they know nothing about and now the fans and the team have to pay the price.And as for ashley the only light i will see is when he moves his fat arse out of newcastle united for good.

By barry farmer .. Posted July 5 2009 at 8:42 AM.

Ha...FTM

By bill clarke.. Posted July 5 2009 at 8:19 AM.

I can see Newcastle doing well in the championship but not comming straight back up, it will be a season for Shearer (if he is in charge)to prove his worth as a manager

By ped.. Posted July 5 2009 at 8:07 AM.

jst hav 2 wait a season noot else wecan do

By rob north shields.. Posted July 5 2009 at 7:33 AM.

Keith Price you say Shearer had ''NO chance of saving the club (from relegation)''. Was getting a point against a Villa side with nothing to play for, really that impossible?

By Coley.. Posted July 5 2009 at 3:16 AM.

At last some good news for n'cle. I can see them walking away with the championship this season with shearer in charge!!

By jack arnold.. Posted July 5 2009 at 1:53 AM.

More chance of Newcastle signing Ronnie Campbell than Frazier Campbell,you've got to laugh at the geordies they are as deluded as ever.

Agent Ashley your mission has been accomplished you may now return to Wearside.

By Dave.. Posted July 5 2009 at 12:45 AM.

Seeing Newcastle back in the Premiership will prove as impossible under Shearer as it has been for Leeds under countless managers.

By Keith Price.. Posted July 5 2009 at 12:50 AM.

A lot of people have written Shearer off, but the potential is there if given the chance. He had NO chance of saving the club during the final 8 games of the Premiership. It is probably best that the club has gone down since there is a lot of deadwood which needs to be lost. Shearer is probably the only manger Newcastle can get at this time that will maintain the respect of the dressing room and at the same time attract the players Newcastle need to fight their way back to the premiership. As for Mike Ashley, how can anyone EVER take him seriously again in any business venture. What a numpty.

By David M.. Posted July 5 2009 at 12:07 AM.

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