Newcastle United Could Pursue French Winger
Following the departure of Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands, Alan Pardew seems keen to bring in back-up for our Senegalese duo of Ba and Cisse. However, it has been proven difficult to find a player that matches our policy of low transfer fees considering that strikers tend to be the most expensive of all positions.
With all that in mind, I definitely think we should take a closer look at Gouffran. The 26 year old was impressive for Bordeaux last season, scoring 14 goals for the Ligue 1 outfit. He also appears to have continued where he left off, having netted in a 3-2 win against Evian in the opening game of the 2012/13 season.
The player seems to have finally found his feet following a few torrid years at Bordeaux in which he struggled to find the back of the net. In 2010, it was revealed by then manager Jean Tigana that Gouffran is allergic to grass, signalling added humiliation for the striker. But he appears to have dug himself out of a hole and is now a regular starter for Bordeaux. The fact that Gouffran was willing to keep working hard when times were rough says a lot about his commitment to his footballing career.
Gouffran’s successful stint has led to a few other Premier League clubs also monitoring him. Sunderland, Aston Villa and Everton are all rumoured to be interested in the player. With that in mind, the chances of Newcastle signing the Frenchman are significantly lower than anticipated.
However, I don’t think the club should pull out of the race for him altogether because of alternative suitors. Gouffran’s contract runs out at the end of the season, meaning that Bordeaux will be eager to cash in on any offer that comes in. This could mean that the ex France U21 player will leave for a relatively low transfer fee.
Admittedly, Yoan Gouffran isn’t as prolific as other strikers we’ve been linked with such as Loic Remy and Ola Toivonen. However, the likelihood of a lower transfer fee makes a move for him a lot more appealing. We must also consider that we already have top strikers in Ba and Cisse, so we don’t need to spend heaps of money on a potential back-up.
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