Graham Carr has built himself quite a reputation with Newcastle fans and football fans around England, the brains behind the signings of Yohan Cabaye, Papiss Cisse & Cheik Tiote, to name but three, in the last two years.

So, are the four summer signings Vurnon Anita, Gael Bigirimana, Romain Amalfitano & Curtis Good just more Graham Carr inspired bargain buys?

While the hype and expectation surrounding the quartet is reserved, compared to that on the back of the signings above, in particular a certain Yohan Cabaye, Newcastle United fans will hope nonetheless that the new boys on the block can emulate the success 0f those who went before them.

The first man through the St James’ Park door was Romain Amalfitano, while admittedly not a household name, Romain is a signing of real potential all the same.

Amalfitano, 23, joined Newcastle from Ligue 2 side Reims on a 3-year contract after his contract with the French side expired.

Graham Carr on Amalfitano:

“He’s been playing for Reims who were promoted last year. He was playing regularly but he was out of contract. He’s only played in the French second division but he’s a good player and he boosts the squad. It may take a while to break in but if he works hard, I’ve got every confidence that he’ll be a brilliant player.”

“He’s got pace. He can play wide right, he’s played centrally before, he can pass… he’s just one of these who has got a bit of a chance. He’ll probably take a while to come into the starting line-up but you’re not going to get a ready-made star for nothing, are you?”

Second through the door was Coventry City teenager & nPower Championship Apprentice of the Year, Gael Bigirimana, who joined for a fee reported to be around £1million.

Bigirimana, again, is not a name which is instantly recognisable to your regular English football fan nor was the transfer one which lit up the eyes of Newcastle United fans.

However, 2months into his Newcastle career, the expectation surrounding Bigirimana, nicknamed Mini Tiote by one or two Newcastle fans in relation to his not only striking similar appearance but also for their shared role of ‘midfield enforcer’, is growing immensely.

Two months and 3 appearances on from putting pen to paper, Bigirimana has impressed Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and fans alike, in particular during his unexpected Premier League debut. Coming on as a substitute for Danny Simpson against Aston Villa. Bigirimana held his own in what is undoubtedly a cauldron of fire, playing front of over 50,000 expectant fans.

At the tender age of just 18 years old, Bigirimana is definitely a player to look out for the in the future.

Thirdly, Newcastle fans called in their droves for centre back reinforcement and Carr & Pardew duly delivered.. well, kind of? The third Newcastle signing of the summer was Australian teenager Curtis Good.

Good, 19, while not exactly the centre back Newcastle fans would have expected nor wished for, like Bigirimana, is a player of real potential.

Good signed for Newcastle for $600,000 AUD, the equivalent of around £350,000, from Melbourne Heart, putting pen to paper on a massive SIX year contract.

With the likes of Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini & Mike Williamson all ahead of young Curtis in the pecking order, Good will most likely be a regular for the Reserve squad and also the newly introduced u21 side.

Like Bigirimana, Good will, I am sure, be a important player for Newcastle United in years to come.

And last, but by no means, the most expensive signing of Newcastle’s summer was Vurnon Anita, who joined for a fee believed to be around €8.5 million, equiv. £6.7million, from 31-times Dutch champions Ajax.

Anita, 23, has been capped for national side Holland at u17, u19, u21 and 3x Senior level, is a versatile player who plays predominately as a holding midfielder, but can also play either full back.

Anita is a technically gifted player, unsurprisingly for a player who was educated at the world famous Ajax academy, and is, in my honest opinion, the best signing of the window and further reason for Newcastle fans to adore the scouting genius which is Graham Carr.

During his time with Ajax, Anita played 152 games, scoring seven goals in that time. Not just a ball-winner, Anita is also a controlling midfielder capable of helpiing Newcastle build from the back and provide constant supply for the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa and Senegalese duo Demba Ba & Papiss Cisse.

So there you have it, it might be early days as of yet but the quartet of signings brought to Newcastle in the summer window by Pardew & Carr would appear to join the ever expansive list of players of being termed Graham Carr gems.