Newcastle United

Update from Wednesday, July 2

Siem de Jong's switch from Ajax to Newcastle has been confirmed after the player penned a six-year deal at St James' Park, per the Daily Mirror's Neil Rowlands.

The official Newcastle Twitter feed provided the following details:

Original Text

Premier League side Newcastle are on the verge of completing the summer signing of attacking midfielder Siem de Jong from Eredivisie side Ajax.

The 25-year-old playmaker is on his way to England to finalise the deal, and confirmation of the transfer is expected in the next couple of days. Newcastle’s interest in the Swiss-born Dutchman is no secret and, as reported by Steve Bates of the Mirror earlier this year, has been touted as the potential long-term replacement for Yohan Cabaye—who departed St James’ Park for French side Paris Saint-Germain in January.

De Jong has been a tremendous servant to the club and was instrumental in helping the Amsterdam giants to four consecutive Eredivisie crowns. Injuries plagued his progress during 2013/14 and ultimately cost him a place in Louis van Gaal’s World Cup squad. Nevertheless, he still registered nine league goals to take his overall tally for Ajax to 78 and departs after seven successful seasons in the first team under his belt.

According to Michael Bell of FootballOranje.com, De Jong was "granted permission to leave Ajax’s training camp in Austria" in order to complete the formalities. It is believed that De Jong has already passed a medical and he should join up with his new team-mates, including former Ajax man Vurnon Anita, in the coming days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW9uLXg0fX0

In regards to the transfer fee, no official announcement has been made by either club. However, the Mirror’s Simon Bird speculated earlier this week that the Ajax man is rated at around £9 million. De Jong’s younger brother, Luuk, had previously spent a portion of last season on loan at Newcastle but has since returned to parent club Borussia Monchengladbach after failing to score in a dozen Magpies appearances.

Fans of the Premier League club will be hoping that the older sibling will enjoy a much more productive time on Tyneside.

Will De Jong be a hit in the Premier League? Post your thoughts below.

Stats from Soccerway.

Loic Remy is still undecided on extending his loan at Newcastle United into a permanent deal, per L'Equipe (h/t Sky Sports), so could a summer transfer-window replacement be Vitesse centre-forward Mike Havenaar?

To cover that hypothetical, here is a scouting report on the 27-year-old Japanese international.

Positives

Havenaar is a 6'6", 179-pound centre-forward who is in his element when crosses are flung into his zone.

His height advantage over the large majority of opposing centre-backs, his ranginess and his well-timed leaps allow him to score headers with regularity.  

Those skills were on show with headed goals against Twente and Roda: 

You can certainly envision Newcastle's robust utility player Moussa Sissoko outmuscling the opposing left-back and whipping in a cross for Havenaar to head home. 

Havenaar is an all-round attacking threat because he can also create. 

Against Heerenveen, he squared the ball for Vitesse left-forward Lucas Piazon, who scored:

In a play against NAC Breda, Havenaar nodded the ball in the direction of Piazon, who took Havenaar's lay-off, created space and finished:

Havenaar accumulated 38 goalscoring opportunities in 34 Eredivisie games. 

Negatives

Havenaar is an Eredivisie-standard No. 9 and thus is far from special. 

There were 13 players in the Eredivisie who surpassed his 10-goal tally in league play. 

Despite being 6'6", Havenaar's headers won percentage (55.8) was inferior to that of NEC Nijmegen centre-forward Michael Higdon (57.2), who is five inches shorter:

In addition, Higdon is a superior player to Havenaar:

League Only	Michael Higdon	Mike Havenaar
Goals	14	10
Shots Per Goal	5	7.6
Assists	7	5
Key Passes Per Game	1.5	1.1

Higdon is a serviceable footballer, but he is not in the league of Feyenoord centre-forward Graziano Pelle, who scored 27 and 23 goals in his first two seasons for the club. 

This is the same Pelle who struggled mightily in Serie A, once scoring one goal from 24 shots in the 2011-12 season for Parma. 

One red flag with Havenaar is his poor competitive spirit, as he has inexplicably given up in several games. 

How much is Havenaar willing to compete? 

Upon hearing of Napoli's interest in signing him, Havenaar's reaction was one of a defeatist.

"Napoli won't be it I don't think," Havenaar said, per ANP (h/t Sky Sports). "I don't want to sit on the bench the whole season."

Havenaar could have put a positive spin on it, saying he would be an invaluable impact sub. 

If he does not believe in himself, how can he elevate himself to the next level? 

Bottom Line

Havenaar is 6'6", great in the air, comfortable with the ball at his feet and is a team player. 

Before Remy signed with Queens Park Rangers, he started 14.3 percent of Ligue 1 games he was involved in during his last season for Marseille.

He scored once from 17 shots, had fitness issues and looked down and out. 

Havenaar had a better season for Vitesse than Remy did for Marseille.

Look at Remy now: He was Newcastle's leading scorer in the Premier League with 14 goals. 

Havenaar can elect to exercise his Bosman right to a free transfer, so signing him would be in line with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley's budget.

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

Statistics via WhoScored.com

Loic Remy says he will be using this summer’s World Cup as a shop window to find himself a new club.

The Frenchman is in Didier Deschamps' squad for the tournament in Brazil and hopes to attract new suitors with his performances as he seeks a permanent move away from Queens Park Rangers.

Remy spent the 2013/14 season on loan at Newcastle and scored 14 goals for the Magpies but is unwilling to sign a permanent deal at St James’ Park, despite Alan Pardew being interested in his services.

Remy told French newspaper L’Equipe (h/t Sky Sports): “The World Cup is a way of putting myself on display. Newcastle want to hire me but I don’t know if I will stay there.

“This has been a turning point in my career, a year of transition. Since the turn of the year everything has been okay and when I am fully fit I believe I can hurt opponents”

Remy’s claims are certainly backed up by statistics. The 27-year-old averaged just under a goal every other game for the Magpies last season despite suffering numerous injuries over the course of the campaign.

The striker also shed some light on why he was absent from Newcastle’s final game of the season, away to Liverpool. Remy asked Newcastle boss Pardew to omit him from the matchday squad so he could avoid any potential injuries with the World Cup approaching—despite him being fully fit.

“Alan Pardew understood my point of view. We were playing without any specific objective. I didn’t want to risk getting injured again.

“Missing Euro 2012 due to injury really hurt me. The sky collapsed. It was devastating. It was the most difficult experience I have ever had. I needed six months to get over it.”

The quotes certainly provide Newcastle fans with honesty ahead of the summer months. Remy has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool lately, as noted by the Daily Mail's David Kent, and he certainly thinks he can do better than Newcastle. Even if he fails to shine at the World Cup, the Frenchman will be unlikely to be playing his football at St. James’ Park next season.

As for asking to be left out of the final game of the season, it rather sums up Remy’s attitude towards the club. The former Marseille man used this season as a platform to go onto bigger and better clubs (preferably playing European football) and has no genuine feeling towards Newcastle.

Remy scored 14 goals for Newcastle without ever really wanting to be there. Imagine what kind of player the Geordies would have on their hands if Remy was 100 percent committed to the club for an extended period of time.

On Wednesday, news broke that embattled Newcastle manager Alan Pardew would remain with the club for the 2014-15 season. 

Newcastle finished in 10th place in the Premier League, but after flirting with European places early on, the club slumped in the second half after the sale of Yohan Cabaye, and the disappointing spell was Pardew's seven-match ban for headbutting Hull midfielder David Meyler. 

Judging by the response on Twitter, most were shocked Newcastle opted to keep Pardew. Newcastle fans weren't incredibly pleased, either. 

 

Reports that Alan Pardew will remain in charge of Newcastle. It's ridiculous how many managers keep their jobs these days.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 14, 2014

Pardew staying. Thats one relegation place taken then

— Heel Hicks (@krh944) May 14, 2014

Minutes from last night's Newcastle United fans' forum confirm that Alan Pardew will remain as manager. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/mMslqeNW5d

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) May 14, 2014

Newcastle fans react to news Alan Pardew is safe in his job pic.twitter.com/BQ52QN3Chb

— 101 Great Goals (@102greatgoals) May 14, 2014

It’s simple, we must kill the Pardew.

— Callum Kane (@CallumKane__) May 14, 2014

Alan Pardew to remain as NUFC manager next season...... https://t.co/Oi3bkbNFsJ

— GallowgateShots.com (@gallowgateshots) May 14, 2014

Alan Pardew must know Mike Ashley's dirty secrets to continue to be employed by Newcastle. What a terrible manager.

— Chris Mckay (@Christoff_Mckay) May 14, 2014

Newcastle fans hear the news Alan Pardew will continue as manager... http://t.co/VPa4bLuBk0

— Football Vines (@FootballVines) May 14, 2014

According to a report on Thursday in the Metro, Hatem Ben Arfa is a transfer target for Liverpool. The Newcastle United winger is reportedly on Brendan Rodgers' wanted list for the upcoming summer transfer window.

The 27-year-old Frenchman has fallen out of favour at Newcastle United under Alan Pardew. The pair are in the midst of a row over his behaviour, which has resulted in Ben Arfa being banned from first-team training. Ben Arfa has not stated his desire to leave, but his situation appears unsettled.

Liverpool believe they can pick up their transfer target for £6 million this summer. Ben Arfa would add depth to Liverpool's wing options with Victor Moses returning to Chelsea at the end of the season.

Hatem Ben Arfa has scored 14 goals with 18 assists in his 86 games for Newcastle United. Brendan Rodgers had previously been strongly linked with Ukranian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka per the Daily Mail. However, Hatem Ben Arfa could provide a cheaper option who has proven his ability in the English league.

Argentinan Juan Iturbe is another winger on Liverpool's transfer radar according to the Daily Mail. The 20-year-old is expected to join Hellas Verona after his loan from Porto. However, the Italian club is in need of funds and could be looking to turn a quick profit on the youngster. 

 Many Liverpool fans might be surprised to see their club linked with Ben Arfa; a player that cannot get into the Newcastle United side. Hatem Ben Arfa is clearly not happy with being a fringe player at Newcastle and he would fill the same role at Liverpool. He is not the star transfer Liverpool fans will be hoping for.

There will be more squad rotation for Liverpool next year after gaining Champions League qualification. This may afford potential squad players like Ben Arfa more game time. However, limited game time this year and a rebellious reputation would make Hatem Ben Arfa a risky signing for Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool.