Eidur Gudjohnsen joined Barcelona only last summer (June 14th, 2006) but we now know that Sam Allardyce has officially inquired into Eidur’s availability when he was at Barcelona on Thursday with a Newcastle contingent – checking out Edmilson.
The question on our minds is if Gudjohnsen does sign – and the possibility of that is now looking much better – does that mean that Owen or Martins must move on to make way for him?
Eidur Gudjohnsen
The latest on this move is that Barcelona want £8M for Gudjohnsen – the fee they paid Chelsea only last year for Eidur. Newcastle have reportedly offered £6M and presumably some intermediate deal could be worked out. Sam does have some advantage with Gudjohnsen – because he played 55 times for Bolton and scored 18 goals over two years (from 1998-2000) when Allardyce was Bolton manager.
We have no idea what Gudjohnsen thinks of a move to Tyneside – but he would be the perfect player in attitude and style to be successful at the club. He is the type of player we need to make Newcastle a force again in the Premiership. Having also worked with Sam when he was younger Eidur has always spoken highly of Allardyce in the past. Also with Thierry Henry just signed from Arsenal for £16M – Gudjohnsen’s chances will be further reduced.
Eidur left Bolton for Chelsea in a £4m deal in 2000. At that time Bobby Robson of Newcastle was interested in him but thought the fee too high for a player who hadn’t yet played in the top division of English football. Eidur then spent six years at Chelsea (2000-2006) playing 263 games for them and scoring 78 goals – before moving on last year to Barcelona. Barcelona paid ₤8M for Gudjohnsen only last June and that’s the fee Barcelona are asking for Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic striker scored eight goals in 33 appearances for Barcelona last season, and a move back to the premiership now looks certain – the question is which club will he choose?
We already know Big Sam is an admirer of Eidur because a source close to Allardyce stated last month:
“Sam used to call Eidur a `proper’ player when he was at Bolton. He enjoyed working with him and I would suggest he would be happy to bring him back to the Premiership.â€
But Eidur can also play midfield and looked accomplished for Chelsea when playing central midfield in his last season there. Gudjohnsen is a good and versatile footballer and joined the Iceland national team in 1996. Since then he has been capped 45 times and scored 17 times for his country and is currently the Icelandic captain. He is probably the best footballer Iceland has produced – but has yet to play in the World Cup.
He would be an excellent buy for Newcastle – and it looks like Sam is now going after Eidur aggressively. If he does arrive it will be interesting to see if Sam will then sell Owen or Martins. Martins would be the better bet – because we could quite easily get ₤13M for him – but there again Sam may decide to keep all three and let them fight it out for first team places – that also seems a good option.
What do you think?
Comments always welcome.
34 comments so far
SPOT THE ZEBRA
Jun 30, 2007 at 9:13 AM
Comment #1Gudjohnsen would be a fine aquisition but not at the expense of Owen or Martins as he doesnt have the pace they have.
Murvar
Jun 30, 2007 at 9:25 AM
Comment #2I’ve always liked Gudjohnsen – he’s scored against us once or twice and always impressed. But you’re right – if he comes, who will go? You won’t keep four egos like Viduka, Owen, Martins and Gudjohnsen happy if they are on the bench – and with no Euro games, there will be fewer opportunities to start. Except Viduka will probabaly be tired, injured or not bothered to play. Whatever happens, it’s hard to see Shola getting much action. I really fail to see what managers find so compelling about him. I’m surprised that he’s still there, to be honest. I see him as a Chopra – too easily shrugged off the ball and too likely to give it away – rather like Martins, in fact, who gives the ball away more than any player I can recall at SJP since Frank Clark.
Pratish , atlanta
Jun 30, 2007 at 9:27 AM
Comment #3there is no way we can keep gudjohnsen, owen, martins and viduka at the same time. and what about ameobi (i don’t think we have seen the best of him yet and he wants to prove himself) and carrol – our latest product. its certainly a dream come true if we can have this strikeforce but allardyce surely know atleast one is ready to hit the exit door and someone going on loan. comeone sam aleast three more defenders and the toon army is ready to battle!!!
Nicci
Jun 30, 2007 at 9:42 AM
Comment #4Shouldn’t Sam be going out of his way to speak to both Owen and Martins and demand an answer on their intentions, after all they are employed by this club and they are both aware of the situation we could be left in if they decide to leave late in the transfer window. I think Gudjohnsen is a brilliant strong player and would be a huge asset to the club but before agreeing a move he will probably demand regular games. Now if Owen and Martins stay, he may not get regular games. if Owen and Martins heart is in this club, then i’m sure an answer on what they want wouldn’t hurt. They may be waiting for an offer from a bigger more successful club, but that bigger club could be Newcastle in two years time and will they then want to come back?
LiamBirchy8
Jun 30, 2007 at 9:49 AM
Comment #5gudjohnsen will play in centre midfield or just off the front two strikers/. He can act as a n emergency striker aswell though
nightfall
Jun 30, 2007 at 9:53 AM
Comment #6forget gudjohnsen, edmilson, smith,… if owen and oba leave, get lita and tevez…the’re both better…and get coloccini…
oba + owen = 22 mio
tevez = 15 mio
lita = 5 mio
coloccini = 2,5 mio
…to get a better striking force and world-class defender for the same price…that’s good bussiness…
carl
Jun 30, 2007 at 9:58 AM
Comment #7i read a report from allardyce that hes going to be sitting down with oba very soon when he returns from holiday to discuss his future.and he said their was no need to talk to owen.allardyce has already said he wants 2 strong players for each position and hes going the right way about doing it.
carl
Jun 30, 2007 at 10:01 AM
Comment #8i think their will be at least another 5 or 6 signings
bob
Jun 30, 2007 at 10:03 AM
Comment #9who cares if owen goes at the end of the day his eart isnt at newcastle and he never really wanted to come here in the first place so they should ust focus on keeping martins even if it means offerin better wages in a new deal so we can rip out tht 13 mill clause. i also think Gudjohnsen would be a brilliant signing as hes versatile and a hard worker and a good professional which is what we need at newcastle
Dave
Jun 30, 2007 at 10:06 AM
Comment #10the papers are suggesting Alex “Taggart) ferguson is hot on the trail of Owen and offer £4million and Smith. the article suggests to me that he is not willing to pay out £9million for Owen.
I dont believe Allardyce is daft and is playing the media well. He suggests that we are not in a good position to keep them both but i think he is putting the thought of loosing Owen and Martins in our minds just in case his plans go wrong and we do actually loose these great footballers. Allardyce i suspect will be in touch with both players regarding renewing both of their contracts and commiting themselves to us.
Gudjohnson would be a excellent signing for us and i think Big Sam will pull it off but for some reason no one mentions Ameobi…… Surely get Ameobi out and gudjohnson in can you imagine any defender wanting to play against any combination of our attack then??
Martins wants to be part of a huge club and playing regular european football and Owen wants more money and more chances of winning trophies This is what anyone playing for Newcastle United will now enjoy and within the next 3-4 seasons i think we will be part of the top 2 every season battling for the crown!
Owen and Martins must stay and im sure that Mr Allardyce and Mr Ashley will get them to commit to The TOON REVOLUTION!!
thanks for reading
Chris
Jun 30, 2007 at 10:27 AM
Comment #11Here’s a question for you’s. If Ferguson is after Owen, why has he just given the No.10 shirt to Rooney? We all Know that Owen likes the No.10 shirt!
Rob Kirton
Jun 30, 2007 at 10:32 AM
Comment #12I’m with Dave on this one. I think Allardyce is playing a smart game with this one. If we can hang on to Owen and Oba this summer, with Gudjohnson We will have 6 players vying for the front berths. This is not as mad as it seems
Realistically it wil be 4 (Shola and Carroll being more bit part / benched)
If Oba does stay it will be on a different contract, not giving him an opt out and more securing his long term future. It gives us cover when Viduka and Martins go on the long distance jaunts playing internationals an dof course not forced into a panic if Owen proves himself first half of season and does move on in January
I say go for Gudjohnson and keep owen and Martins fo rthe moment
LALA
Jun 30, 2007 at 10:38 AM
Comment #13IMO owen will always score more goals and have a better touch than martins with gujohnsen and viduka we’d have an amazing front line and will bode well for our future and type of football we play. I don’t mind if we keep martins that’ll be all better for us.
Ed Harrison
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:11 AM
Comment #14Chris – we don’t believe the Sun report that Ferguson is after Owen – and we said so in our article yesterday.
http://nufcblog.com/owen-to-manchester-united-%e2%80%93-how-long-will-this-go-on/
We think unless Owen and Martins state their intentions – or we renegotiate their contracts- these stories could go on until Aug 31st – not good for Sam or Newcastle – it’s something we have to sort out somehow.
Ed Harrison
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:13 AM
Comment #15Dave and Rob Kirton – really good points – think you’re right and yes Sam is nobody’s fool.
Ed Harrison
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:15 AM
Comment #16nightfall – our number 1 coloccini fan 😀
Wonder is Sam will go after him – since he was in Spain yesterday didn’t look like he made a call on Fabricio. But we are also fans of him – as you know.
nightfall
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:21 AM
Comment #17well sam knows what he’s doing…i hope 🙂 i’m just saying…2,5 mio for world-class defender with the best years still ahead of him? great opportunity for every club..
Major Newcastle News Stories - June 30th - 2007 | Newcastle United Blog
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:32 AM
Comment #18[…] We look at the transfer situation with Eidur Gudjohnsen in our latest Newcastle Transfer Update series. We were linked with Eidur a month or so back and he will definitely be leaving Barcelona now that Henry has arrived from Arsenal. We wonder if Eidur joins Newcastle- will that mean either Martins or Owen will be moved out. Our view is we should go after Eidur – because he is such a good professional and player – and would add value to Newcastle’s squad regardless. Also Gudjohnsen thinks highly of Sam – having worked with him at Bolton in the late 1990s before moving to Chelsea in a ₤4M deal in the summer of 2000. Newcastle – under Bobby Robson – were interested in Gudjohnsen at the time – but we got Carl Cort for ₤7M instead. […]
cooldj
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:33 AM
Comment #19what we need is a player to LINK mid and att (like a tevez/rooney ect) all good teams have this sort of player. gudjonsen is this sort of player, he’s honest and works hard + he can score. I would have prefered an original move for tevez just to see but 30m is a lot. I think my next choice would have been Dean Ashton (then sell ameobi) but Gudjonsen is still good (hopefully we then see ameobi!!)
cooldj
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:34 AM
Comment #20i mean then sell ameobi-he’s terrible can’t score is a donkey. he’s a weak emile heskey. gudjonsen in and shola out please
Dave
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:41 AM
Comment #21coloccini would be a good signing for the club versatile and clever, there is another young argie who we should look at and coul;d potentially form the best defence in the world and that is gonzalo rodriguez(22) he plays for Villerreal. He is Argentinas future in defence also Micah Richards and baines.
Baines – Rodriguez – Taylor – Richards
with krul in goal in 3 years, i believe this would guarentee a huge amount of clean sheets and an amazing platform for the team and by then coloccini would be the mentor for the squad.by then even rooney would have his work cut out!!
i personally dont rate shorey in the same class as baines and richards will be the best defensive player in the world, even if he stays at man c sven will improve him 10 fold. unfortunately for our youngsters i cant see huntington making it and ramage looks like another aaron hughes to me. but he will make good cover. id love to see the gordie lads prove me worng but huntington has an extreme lack of pace and ramage has a problem like bramble did of loosing concentration. but his commitment is 2nd only to taylor which i like.
just a shout in taylors direction…he will be an england senior within 2 years. i met Mcclaren in my home town of york when he was at smoggies and he rates him as best defensive prospect in england.
midfield wise Richards could play there if we got sagna and he has grown as a player with barton at man c, milner on the right. morais from vasco would be another good leftsided player to compete with n’zogbia. by then martins and carroll up front, what a team!! let me have your thoughts…..
thanks again for reading
nightfall
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:48 AM
Comment #22rodriguez, micah, baines – that would be great, but i think we need more experienced defenders…
Craig
Jun 30, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Comment #23Saviola would be a direct replacement for either martins or Owen – pace for pace. He’s on a free, perhaps that’s another reason why their in Spain.
Geordie joe
Jun 30, 2007 at 12:26 PM
Comment #24Owen can leave for me. He doesn’t care about newcastle. get the 9m and we have already got the 10m compensation. that is 19m we will have gotten so selling him will not be that big a loss financially. Martins on the other hand is the future in my opinion. Any one who can strike the ball the way he does and score 17 goals in his first season is a quality player. and he’s only 22 aswell. Martins and gudjohnson should be a great partnership, With Viduka aswell.
Those shouting for Tevez need to be a bit more realistic. Inter and real madrid want him so i don’t think he would choose us.
nightfall
Jun 30, 2007 at 12:32 PM
Comment #25tevez said he wants to play in premier league
Big AL
Jun 30, 2007 at 12:32 PM
Comment #26I think if i was manager i would have to simply say heres an improved contract for owen and martins, with NO release clause, sign it or i will activly try to sell you. Because if there not willing to give up there release clauses they obviously dont want to play for the toon.
If its worst case and neither of them want to sign then at least we can sell them and bring in players that want to be here before the start of the season.
As it is both Owen and Martins could leave the clud just days before the transfer window shuts.
cooldj
Jun 30, 2007 at 1:20 PM
Comment #27tevez is unrealistic… but to win the lottery you have to buy a ticket. it’s worth a go as with him and matins/owen up front and a half decent defense i’m sure we would get 4th or 5th. hes a long term investment and hes world class.
StevieA
Jun 30, 2007 at 1:33 PM
Comment #28I don’t think Tevez is unrealistic at all. He is only at West ham..
If we make it clear we want him and let him know our ambitions I am sure he would consider signing for us. He could be the spark we need to really get the fans back on the teams side, the fans need to play a bigger part next season. I know it’s hard to watch poor football week in week out but the fans must help to motivate the team to do well. Looking at the players we are targeting I don’t think it will be a problem from now on. 😀
BigAl – Sam has said he is 100% certain Owen is staying so we should assume he is staying. Perhaps Owen is just sick of the press stirring and trying to make trouble for him? I want Owen to stay as he could be brilliant for us if fully fit for most of the season.
john75
Jun 30, 2007 at 3:08 PM
Comment #29Would rather get Gudjohnsen in now if we can, rather than have to try and go for him at the end of August, if Martins and Owens futures are up in the air. If they both stay, then we would have 4 proven strikers and 2 very good back-ups in Ameobi and Carroll. Competition for places can only be a good thing! Could set us up nicely for ther season after next as well, if and when we get back into European competition.
Ashton
Jun 30, 2007 at 3:21 PM
Comment #30we don’t need him get more defenders like barzagli or coloccini get rb an lb
stop linkeng with strikers !
jacobmannjones
Jun 30, 2007 at 10:55 PM
Comment #31The rumours keep afloat about Martins and/or Owen… Gudjohnsen would be a decent option should one of those players bolt Tyneside before next term. And if both stay then Gudjohnsen would make the side that much stronger heading into the EPL slate.
Big Sam is concerned, and rightfully so, about the escape clauses that were written into those contracts by the previous regime… So a backup plan is in dire need on case one does escape the Toon…
Outlaw
Jun 30, 2007 at 11:55 PM
Comment #32Gudjohnsen would be a great singing for Newcastle. 8 Million is not bad for a 28 yr old considering what Chelsea paid for Schevchenko. Pft No re-sale value! But I don’t think we need him as of yet cus we already have Martins/Owen/Viduka and Daddy Long Legs.
Callum
Jul 1, 2007 at 6:13 AM
Comment #33You guys are forgetting one thing, next season is Africa nations so eto’o will be gone for a month, therefore Barca will want to keep Gudjohnson or they want to sell him now so they have enough time to find a replacement, they dont want to wait untill the mid-end August when Owen or Martins have been sold for then Newcastle to ask to buy him, it’ll be too late, so we need to either sign him now or not sign him at all and risk losing Martins and/or Owen without havign a back up plan, thats why finding out their intentions is crucial to everyone associated with NUFC asap.
dan
Jul 1, 2007 at 6:28 PM
Comment #34Would be a great signing!
If he does come – it won’t matter one bit if Oba or Owen decide they want to leave. let them – we wouldn’t need them.
ps – hope they do stay tho!