I think one thing we all know is that Newcastle are going to be very busy in the transfer market this Summer, well that is if the rumour mill is to be believed anyway.
It is appears that a winger may be the order of the day, maybe the days of Joey Barton playing right midfield are coming to an end! According to our friends at Inside Futbol the man they are supposedly chasing is Burkinabe wide man Jonathan Pitroipa, and before you ask, if you are Burkinabe you are from Burkina Faso – who said the Tavern wasn’t educational.
The winger began his career in his native country, but it wasn’t long before he moved to Europe. He ended up in Germany at SC Freiburg in 2004, he remained there for 4 years before he transferred too his current club Hamburg in 2008. The winger has appeared over 60 times for the club and has looked a decent option, yet he hasn’t quite managed to secure himself in the first team.
The speed merchant was linked extensively with a move to Liverpool last Summer, Roy Hodgson was supposedly very close to moving for the winger, however this never came to fruition. It was believed that his pace and dribbling skills would make him a fine asset in the Premier League, he was extremely impressive for Hamburg against Manchester City in the Europa League a couple of years ago and I think he could be a success in England.
He is contracted to Hamburg until 2012, and it is thought that because of this, he may be allowed to move for as little as £5.5million rather than losing him for nothing next year. The Tyneside club may face competition from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg who according to Goal are also interesting in the midfielder, and there could still be interest from Liverpool as they continue to look to add width to their squad.
Newcastle however would be a great destination for the player, the Geordie faithful love a tricky flying winger and that is exactly what Pitroipa is. With him on one wing and Ben Arfa on the other, there could be some really enjoyable attacking football at St James’ Park next season, now all they really need is a striker to get on the end of the crosses!
For more of my thoughts on the latest transfer rumours, follow me on twitter @soccercityjoe!
