News

Steve McClaren ‘He’s like a new signing’ – Totally Pardewed now

Steve McClaren has been quizzed about the January transfer window at his pre-match press conference for Arsenal.

When asked if it was a ‘big transfer window’ for Newcastle, McClaren deflected the question and said that every transfer window was big for the media.

The United boss was also asked if he could name the areas of the team he would especially like to target in January.

Steve McClaren said that this was for private discussion but then…proceeded to point out that Newcastle have only got one fit striker at the moment in Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The Head Coach saying they are still waiting to find out how long Papiss Cisse will be missing and presumably meaning that de Jong and Perez, are more attacking midfielders, whilst Ivan Toney is seen as too young to be included.

Whether this was accidental or otherwise, it does seem to infer that even regardless of injuries, McClaren sees the need for a new striker.

Another comment though will attract the most headlines, as the Newcastle Head Coach talked about Emmanuel Riviere now being on his way back to full fitness and using the immortal Alan Pardew words…’he’s like a new signing’.

Whilst we all hope for the best with any player, if Emmanuel Riviere is ‘like a new signing’, let’s hope he’s nothing like that useless striker we signed from Monaco last summer and scored one Premier League goal all season and that was a deflection!

Alan Pardew…sorry, Steve McClaren at his pre-Arsenal press conference:

‘Is this a big transfer window for you?’

“I think every window is big for you gentlemen. For us it is always nice and calm and quiet, we’ll debate it and talk it through.

“As normal at this football club we like to do things privately and hopefully it will remain within these four walls, if anything does happen then you will be more or less the last people to know!”

‘I know you won’t name individuals but can you pinpoint the areas of the team you would like to strengthen?’

“Not really, I think that’s for private discussion between ourselves, we’ve got a good squad…we’ve only got one striker at the moment in Aleksandar Mitrovic.

“Papiss Cisse we are still waiting to hear on how long he’s going to be out….Emmanuel Riviere is back in training, so he’s like a new signing for us, buzzing around the training field, so that’s a plus.”

“Rolando Aarons is also back training with us, so that’s a plus too. So we have players from the present squad fit again.

“It’s a good squad, it’s a good squad of players and it has shown in games, it’s capable of winning big games and getting goals.”