Alan Pardew is looking to add some creativity to the Newcastle squad over the summer in a bid to make Newcastle a more competitive outfit. By adding a few players who have that creative flair it will enhance the Toon Army’s chances of pushing on and improving on this season’s 12th place finish. Talking to the BBC, Alan Pardew said “We need to bring players in Newcastle fans love that can get you out of your seat, we need one or two of them on top of what we’ve got and then we can go forward and be really competitive.” So with this in mind I have thought of five possible players who possess the qualities Pardew is looking for and can add that excitement and flair to the team.
Niko Kranjcar
Tottenham’s Croatian International Niko Kranjcar is a player I admire and one who has a definite creative streak to his game. Kranjcar has rarely figured for Tottenham this season and is likely to be available for transfer in the summer. As well as his ability to unlock defences with his passing and flair, Kranjcar is capable of scoring some long range wonder goals with his ferocious shooting ability. The former Portsmouth man could represent a good piece of business as he would likely command a fee in the region of £5 million. Kranjcar would add a slightly different option for Pardew to consider in centre midfield. In Kevin Nolan and Cheik Tiote the centre of the park represents endeavour, commitment and battle but lacks creativity, so Kranjcar could add another dimension.
Adel Taarabt
Moroccan trickster Adel Taarabt is another player who has spent time at Tottenham and the Q.P.R captain is a player who can produce the sublime. After a fantastic season in The Championship Taarabt has emerged as Q.P.R’s talisman, he has weighed in with plenty of top quality goals and outstanding performances. Taarabt can certainly produce moments of mesmerising skill and he can leave opposition players in a daze with his quick feet, skill and trickery. Whether he is right for Newcastle or not is debateable, as regardless of his ability, he does carry an arrogant swagger which when things are going against him tends to surface. Q.P.R would be unlikely to sell their prized asset, but if Newcastle were to sign the player he would certainly be a crowd pleaser when he is on his game.
Charles N’Zogbia
The former Newcastle winger has been linked with a return to St James’ Park in recent weeks and the Frenchman fits the bill in terms of a creative flair player. Wigan have just secured their Premiership status so any potential sale of N’Zogbia has just increased in price to in excess of £10 million. The fans know what to expect from a player who has danced past defenders and got the crowd out of their seats in the black and white before. N’Zogbia is blessed with an excellent left foot with which he can score spectacular goals and put crosses on plates for the strikers. His attitude is questionable at times but top performances would outweigh this if he was snapped up by Pardew.
Daniel Sturridge
The Chelsea striker is desperate to play first team football next season and after an impressive loan spell at Bolton he has showcased his ability. Sturridge’s nifty footwork and his creative spark have been evident throughout his loan spell and his attributes have enabled him to find the back of the net in some style. Sturridge may still have a future with Chelsea though and convincing the Blues to sell the player could be challenging. However his desire for regular football could be enough for him to secure a move away and if Newcastle could bag his services he would be a quality signing. The Newcastle fans love their goal scorers and if Pardew was to thrash out any move for the England U21 man he would certainly be adding a skilful goal getter who fits his transfer requirements.
Paddy McCourt
Celtic’s Northern Irish left winger Paddy McCourt is a player people may not know much about as he is not necessarily a household name. However he is blessed with excellent dribbling ability and he certainly falls under the bracket of a flair player who has the potential to get people off their seats. McCourt has scored some memorable goals for Celtic as a result of his trickery and footwork which has seen him jink in and out of defenders with his mazy runs before firing home. McCourt definitely has an abundance of skill which would tick all the boxes in Alan Pardew’s search for creative flair players. However whether he would be able to exploit his talent in the Premiership in the same way he has in the SPL is uncertain.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’]