As we mentioned in one of our reports this morning we are not sure who Sam Allardyce will still want to bring into the club but we need a midfielder and a defender before our squad is complete.
News today that Sam is possibly looking to bring in Fulham’s giant Senegalese midfielder Papa Boupa Diop.
Allardyce is said to be preparing a £4M bid for Diop, 29, who joined Fulham from Lens in 2004.
Papa Diop – Newcastle after him?
There was news on this possibility last week when the fee was quoted at £3M. We still think Diop would be a great acquisition for the club and could play the holding role in front of the Newcastle defense to make our rearguard even harder to penetrate.
Diop nearly left Craven Cottage during last January’s transfer window when Fulham accepted a £5M offer for the player from Wigan Athletic but Diop decided against it and stayed to help Fulham avoid relegation. Diop is similar in play to Patrick Viera at Arsenal and could bring real steel to our midfield at Newcastle. He also seems the type of player who would thrive under Big Sam – a typical Allardcye signing.
Diop began his career playing for a couple of Dakar clubs, but then moved to Switzerland in 2000, where he played for the famous Grasshoppers Zurich 29 times and scored 5 goals. In 2002 he moved to Lens and stayed there for two years playing 47 times and scoring 6 goals. In 2004 Diop finally moved to the Premiership with Fulham for a fee believed to be around £2M. He has played over 80 times for the London club scoring 8 goals.
In the past Diop has been linked with lucrative moves to Manchester United and Arsenal but has suffered from injuries which have limited his first-team appearances. Sam Allardyce will probably want to ensure Diop’s fitness is 100% before taking any action.
As we mentioned Diop seems the typical Allardyce prototype player being 6’4†and having a powerful build and physique. Certainly it would be difficult to knock this man off the ball. He has an excellent work rate, good skills and commitment which will make an attractive proposition for Sam. £4M seems a little high for the Senegalese but we think we should still try to get Diop into the club – he will give us many more options in midfield and make our squad stronger – which is what we are all after.
Comments welcome.
21 comments so far
Coolsmurf
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:22 AM
Comment #1i think if we do get him, we would have a rock in the middle of our field, he has a awesome build…looks scary close-up
would be a good move
martintheveg
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:22 AM
Comment #2Don`t be in too much of a hurry.PBD can be a lazy b*****d if he decides he is in “can`t be bothered” mode. He is GUARANTEED to return from the A.N cup with even the slightest injury which in turn will ensure he has another few weeks off. Good points, he needs to return the form he showed for us a few seasons ago and at the beginning of the last term, he can play if he wants to, maybe the change will do him good, has scored a couple of decent long range strikes for us, and he is certainly difficult to shake off the ball if he is in the mood.
If he will play for anyone, i`m sure it will be for big Sam.
Martin.FFC.
LiamBirchy8
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:31 AM
Comment #3hopefully we get him, also with dabo urging silvestre to join us, these two would put the icing on the cake.
Silvestre has run out of options, newcastle are the only club that are able to match his wage demands. with prem exp and being able to play RB,CB and LB makes him a great buy and better than drago. Sign him up Sam, use Smith to lure him here, sign Diop and Silvestre then we have a great squad.
James
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:33 AM
Comment #4how do we know that dabo is urging silvestre to move to us???? last week silvestre said he doesnt wan5t to be anywhere near him
Kash
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:35 AM
Comment #5I’m still not convinced, he had a brilliant 1st season and no wonder he was linked with the big 4 after that. But last season I saw so many mistakes and lapses in his play. He also looked very lethargic last season too. We all know that Fulham had problems last season but we want players who still play at a high level under such pressure, like Barton did for city. He definitely has the stature and physical presence for that role, but I think that his attitude/application under immense pressure is prone to crumble. Maybe we need a more resilient player for that role, and i’m sure for £4m that BSA would find a suitable holding player.
t-g-w
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:39 AM
Comment #6I think Diop would be a great signing. The only disappointing thing is his age. I thought he was around 24. He can still play for a few more years at the highest level at 29 but would have been a bonus if he was younger. I don’t think we should really pay more than £4million for him either.
What does everyone make of this apparent takeover by Chinese businessmen. I don’t really see it myself… Hope Ashley doesn’t sell.
Kash
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:40 AM
Comment #7Does anybody have any suggestions of who could come into play DM?
I know that Edmilson could be an option, but Barca are also letting Motta go. While Emerson of Real is still available. Motta certainly has the presence and a powerful left foot, while Emerson is a tenacious playmaker. While Edmilson has demonstrated defensive, playmaking and shooting ability at times. All have been dogged by injuries though.
Patrick Vieira would be nice, maybe even Cambiassio. But too expensive and at one of the strongest teams in the world, Inter!
Who else is out there?
Bosck
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:41 AM
Comment #8james think your confusing players here. Last week it was claimed silvestre didnt want to be anywhere near Barton cos of what he allegedly did to Dabo, but Dabo was reported to still be urging silvestre to join newcastle.
Personally am not particularly interested in sylvestre, no better than anything we got, he’s a bit of a hot head, and prone to ferdinand/bramble like lapses of concentration. i remember the champions league a couple of years back when he and barthez decided to self destruct man utds campaign
James
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:45 AM
Comment #9I see Bosck thanks for the explanation.. I liked the looks of Denilson from arsenal when he played last season as a DM, Can’t think of many others who could come in and play this role and i think Diop would become unhappy at only being a squad player because he would not more Emre,Barton,Smith,Dyer out of the middle of the park.But could becaome a handy player.
shaun d
Aug 9, 2007 at 11:49 AM
Comment #10Kash – Butt’s been playing well there. I think Geremi could do excellently, reads and understands the game so well and keeps distribution simple and effective like makelele. If we were to buy somebody then we should look to someboday a bit younger who can come through, not sure who though!!
shaun d
Aug 9, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Comment #11I’m getting real mad with the invariably negative stories coming from newastleunited-mad.co.uk. cynicism cynicism, surprised they haven’t thrown themselves off a bridge. Trying to take everyone down with them it’s completely negative for the club.
Kash
Aug 9, 2007 at 12:02 PM
Comment #12Butt is an old head in that role, but we need someone long term. A quality DM has always been a commodity and if you pick the right one, can also be good captain material.
Referring to FM07, I always carefully choose this player because I think the DM is one of the most imprtant players and an important part of the spine of a team!
Man Utd have picked up a great player in Hargreaves, but we can’t go and spend that amount yet, not unless CL beckons. What happened to that guy from Villareal, Senna i think? He’s old (30/31) but class.
rich
Aug 9, 2007 at 12:18 PM
Comment #13i would be Oba the moon if we got Papa, i have always admired him hes very intimidating, imgine Barton & Diop in CM for us 🙂 brings a smile to my face.
Seriously, i would rather have Papa than Deco…. and i mean that!!!
Dingo
Aug 9, 2007 at 12:32 PM
Comment #14James….. as for the ‘new takeover’ its just the sun sport trying to blow smoke up out black n white stinky rose buds!!!! pay no attention. They say for the record that MA could make a £20m profit… whoop di doo. they then go on to say… ‘ Ashley declined’. what a waste of paper.
Rich
Aug 9, 2007 at 1:16 PM
Comment #15Kash – i remember watching senna a few times for villareal he was class and absouletely solid we would do well to go after him!
Hadji
Aug 9, 2007 at 3:50 PM
Comment #16Diop isnt gonna do any good for us,we had Amdy Faye and we saw what happened with him…total disaster.Geremi could be ideal for DM position but only on temporary bases, nothing permanent.I think that we should go for Gago to loan him for one season and then send him back after we qualify for Europe.Another option would be Sebastian Kehl from Dortmund cause he’s also very good.And my last choise would be Diarra from Real Madrid,also on loan.We need only one of these 3 players to make our midfield a superb.
Bosck
Aug 9, 2007 at 4:32 PM
Comment #17Hadji – for one thing Diop is a far better player than faye so dont quite see how you can compare the two.
Secondly why does Geremi only have to be a temporary measure as DM, that is his best position spraying the ball around and making the occasional foray forward whilst also protecting his back four. he is similar in style to carrick, but far stronger in the tackle and overall defense.
Arthur Prince
Aug 9, 2007 at 4:33 PM
Comment #18I like Nicky Butt . He has shown that he can knuckle under and deliver the goods . Starting to show his age but a good player who gets about his job as a holding Defensive midfielder . Not to be dismissed . A good role model too
James
Aug 9, 2007 at 4:35 PM
Comment #19Geremi agaisnt Sampodoria bascially played DM and made some gd tackles but looks very very slugish so think it will suit him well there. Smith Geremi Butt Barton all very good tacklers and will help us very much this season
Dirk
Aug 9, 2007 at 5:12 PM
Comment #20Inever rated diop personaly i never saw anything special in him, if there was then y wouldnt any top team have gone for him any of the top 8? they all have very good manages with good understanding of the game, y would all of them not try to obtain him? as for midfield i agree a new attacking midfielder is needed, personaly we need 1 desperately, dyers almost gone, bartons injured and may get jail sentence or suspension and i dont think smith is great in midfield, y cant we jus make that ‘buy that will shake the footballing world’ like deco or gudjohnson?
Ed Harrison
Aug 9, 2007 at 5:37 PM
Comment #21Don’t forget in this new age – we should be thinking two top players in each position. In the past we would say well so and so’s good so we don’t need anybody for that position – then they get injured and we’re screwed. We have to change – right now we have 3 excellent center backs and hopefully we’ll still get Edmilson in January – so that’s 2 players challenging for each center-back position – that’s what Sam’s after – even Owen and Martins have to fight it out – all good for the club. Then it’s imporant for Sam to ensure he drums into players it’s about the team and not them. Just hope our boys continue their good form in first 10 games – we could surprise a lot of people – and ourselves – hoping for that of course – we’ll see 😀