Newcastle United have been one of the biggest clubs in England with a rich history. Players take pride in representing the Magpies and a move to St. James’ Park is always an attractive prospect for footballers across the world. Newcastle, over the years, has been home to some absolute legends like Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne and Les Ferdinand. In recent times, they have been able to attract talents like Yohan Cabaye and Siem De Jong. The recent decline in the fortunes of the club which saw them get relegated may have hampered their pull in the transfer market. But with promotion back to the Premier League on cards and an opportunity to work with a successful manager like Rafael Benitez, we might see them regain their old clout in the market.
However, not everyone who has come through the ranks or moved to Newcastle have been able to prosper at St. James’ Park. Though they failed to click in Tyneside, they have gone onto flourish and thrive in other teams. Here, we pick out three such players, who could not make it big with the Magpies, but went on to make it big after leaving them.
Fraser Forster
To be fair on Newcastle, one position where Magpies are certainly not struggling is in between the sticks. However, they would still love to have the giant Englishman in goal.
After two successful loan spells at Celtic in the 2010-11 and the 2011-12 seasons, the 6’7″ tall Forster was allowed to move permanently to Celtic during the summer of 2012, with Tim Krul and Steve Harper ahead of the Magpies academy graduate in the pecking order back then.
Since departing Tyneside without making a single appearance for the senior side, the 28-year-old has accumulated six England caps, secured a £10 million move to Southampton in 2014, and has become one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Danny Simpson
The 29-year-old was solid during his four years at Tyneside, helping the Magpies back into the top flight and to re-establish themselves in the Premier League.
However, when his contract came to an end, the right-back was released and Simpson moved to Queens Park Rangers with whom he achieved promotion via the play-offs. Simpson then moved to Leicester City in August 2014.
As well as being part of the Foxes’ Great Escape in his first season at the King Power Stadium, he went on to lift the Premier League title last year, making 29 appearances and becoming a key performer. It has been a down slide this year for the entire Leicester team, but winning a Premier League medal is a huge feather in Simpson’s cap.
Rangers complete the signing of Jon McLaughlin from Sunderland
Rangers have confirmed the signing of Scotland international goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin from English club Sunderland. The 32-year-old has penned a two-year deal with the Gers, the club has revealed.
McLaughlin has been with Sunderland for the past two seasons. However, with his contract expiring at the end of the month, he has made the move to Ibrox.
Jon McLaughlin to Rangers: Five things you need to know…
- McLaughlin started out at non-league English club Harrogate Town and has had stints at Bradford and Burton Albion.
- The 32-year-old spent a season with Scottish club Hearts, before joining Sunderland in 2018.
- He made 90 appearances for the League One side, keeping 27 clean sheets in the process.
- McLaughlin made his international debut for Scotland in 2018. While he has just two caps, he is a regular in the squad.
- The Scotsman has penned a two-year contract with Rangers.
Rangers were in need of bolstering their goalkeeping department after releasing both Wes Foderingham and Jak Alnwick.
McLaughlin arrives as competition for first-choice shot-stopper Allan McGregor, who turned 38 in January. Speaking to the club’s website after his arrival, McLaughlin said:
“It’s a very proud moment for myself and for the family. It is great to be back up here in Scotland and we are very proud to have made the deal happen.”
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Manager Steven Gerrard also expressed his delight at having completed the signing. He claimed that McLaughlin’s vast experience would add more strength and depth to the Gers squad.
Rangers have been very active in the transfer market already. McLaughlin joins Calvin Bassey as the latest arrival at Ibrox, while both Ianis Hagi and Jermain Defoe have made their transfers permanent as well.
Craig Gordon hits out at Celtic over dragged-out contract negotiations
As reported by the Daily Record, Craig Gordon has hit out at Scottish champions Celtic over ongoing contract negotiations.
The 37-year-old Gordon’s contract with the Hoops ran out at the end of last month. They remain intent on re-signing him though, and negotiations over a new deal have been ongoing. But the two parties haven’t been able to arrive at an agreement yet. (h/t Daily Record)
Craig Gordon at Celtic: Five things you need to know…
- Gordon has been with Celtic since the summer of 2014.
- To date, the 37-year-old has racked up 242 appearances for the club, keeping 121 clean sheets.
- The former Scotland international won five Premiership titles, four Scottish FA Cups and five Scottish League Cups with the Hoops.
- Having been a certain starter for years, Gordon lost his place to Fraser Forster in 2019/20.
- Gordon’s contract with Celtic ran out last month. Negotiations over a new deal haven’t gone well. There are other clubs interested in signing the veteran.
Opening up on ongoing talks over a new deal, Gordon hit out at Celtic, claiming that the negotiations could have been handled a lot better. (h/t Daily Record)
“They did speak about it a few weeks ago. The negotiations haven’t been particularly good, I’ve got to be honest. It has dragged out and I feel it could have been handled an awful lot better.”
Gordon also went on to reveal that the new offer that Celtic had tabled required him to take a massive wage cut, which he refused. He further added the Scottish champions were yet to come back with an improved offer. (h/t Daily Record)
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Gordon, who has rejected an approach from St. Mirren, also claimed that he would be open to returning to boyhood club Hearts, even if it meant playing in the Championship next season. (h/t Daily Record)
With Celtic trying to re-sign Fraser Forster from Southampton, it remains to be seen if they go back with an improved contract offer for Gordon in the coming days.
Celtic star Odsonne Edouard would be a great fit at Arsenal, Tottenham reckons Kris Boyd
Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd has backed Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard to succeed in the Premier League, amid interest from Arsenal (h/t The Scottish Sun).
The 22-year-old has been a prime asset for Celtic since arriving from PSG three years ago. He has grown into one of the most prolific marksmen and has attracted interest from Premier League clubs and sport bets odds for the striker has grown three folds since his debut for the Glasgow club.
Odsonne Edouard at Celtic: Five things you need to know…
- Edouard joined Celtic from PSG initially on loan in 2017
- The Bhoys signed him on a permanent basis for a club-record fee of £10m in 2018.
- The French goalscorer has made 126 appearances so far, scoring 60 goals.
- Edouard has won two Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic, along with other domestic honours.
- The 22-year-old has been in prolific form in 2019/20, bagging 27 goals and 19 assists.
With Arsenal facing the prospect of losing captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer, Edouard is being lined up as a potential replacement for the 30-year-old
And, former Rangers ace Kris Boyd has backed the Frenchman to come good in the Premier League.
Writing his column for The Scottish Sun, Boyd claims that the Frenchman’s all-round ability would make him a fine addition at Arsenal or even their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
“I honestly believe Edouard could go all the way. There’s no doubt he could walk into the Arsenal team — and their North London rivals Tottenham would also be a great fit for him.”
Boyd further adds that given how successfully Edouard had linked up with Leigh Griffiths at Celtic, he would form a dangerous strike partnership with Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.
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The former Scotland international also insists that Celtic are under no pressure to sell their ace striker. But should his head turn due to the attention, like Moussa Dembele’s did a couple of years ago, then they will be powerless to stop him.
Edouard still has two years left on his current contract with Celtic. As far as a summer move is concerned, the ball lies in his court.
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