Alan Pardew is hoping that the club’s fans will support controversial owner Mike Ashley despite their misgivings over a number of unpopular decisions.
This summer could prove to be a crucial point in the Ashley regime with a number of important decisions to be made. The biggest surrounds the money from Andy Carroll’s record British transfer and how it is going to be spent. Pardew has continually insisted that the full £35 million will be available to spend on new players in the next transfer window. However many supporters feel that the full figure will not completely go towards improving the current side. With the club still believed to be heavily in debt Ashley may take a decision to spend some of the money in other areas of the club. Another important factor will be whether the Magpies can consolidate their Premier League status.
Pardew is already planning ahead on how he will spend his transfer war chest and is fully behind the sportswear magnate. “Mike has committed that the (Andy Carroll) money will go back into the club and I am 100 per cent sure it will,” said Pardew. “He would not be paying for my staff and me to fly all over Europe to scout players if he had no intention of buying them.” If the manager’s belief is proved to be true then the Magpies could be one of the biggest forces in the next transfer window. However, the majority of new signings will still have to adhere to the club’s recruitment policy of young players who can then be sold on at a higher price. Pardew spent the previous weekend in Vienna where he was believed to be watching Belgium’s highly rated midfielder Axel Witsel. Other members of the backroom team also watched potential transfer targets in international competition.
Newcastle will he hoping to have Leon Best back at the weekend despite the striker being forced to withdraw from international duty. It has been a turbulent last couple of weeks for the Irishman who is yet to be disciplined for breaching a club curfew. Best has been suffering with an ankle problem but has taken an injection to help him recover. As Newcastle have been struggling for goals since Carroll’s departure, the former Coventry man has effectively become the club’s number one striker. A lack of alternatives with real Premier League quality mean that Best has a big role to play to fire the Magpies to safety.
Newcastle will travel to America this summer after agreeing to play a friendly in Kansas. The Magpies will play Sporting Kansas City in July as part of their pre-season preparations. It will also offer an opportunity to help improve the club’s appeal in a different part of the world. It is a rare chance for Newcastle to play outside of their normal European zone.
