Newcastle Agree Deal For French Starlet
This morning, both The Daily Mail and The Sun have reported that Newcastle United have pipped several other clubs, including Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton.
The 23-year-old’s deal at Toulouse expires at the end of the season and he is free to sign a pre-contract agreement from January 1.
The central midfielder posseses a versatile playing style; he can be utilised as a holding midfielder or an attacker. The well-rounded player has been likened to ex-Arsenal great Patrick Vieira.
Sissoko signed for Toulouse when he was 13-years-old. He made his way through their youth system before being promoted to the senior squad in 2007. Since then he has made 168 appearances for the Ligue 1 club and scored 19 goals. He also has five international caps for France.
In 2009, Tottenham reportedly offered £15.5 million for him, and yet the Toulouse President, Olivier Sadra, tuned down the offer, declaring him ‘invaluable’. Despite his comments, fellow Premier League club Manchester City, as well as Italian giants Inter Milan and Juventus, and German club Bayern Munich were also linked with Sissoko.
So there’s no doubt that, if these rumours were to be true, we have pulled off an excellent signing.
The flip-side to this positive news is that, as is the case with any ‘big’ signing, we have to make room for him. It’s highly unlikely that he’ll be satisfied on the bench, and therefore we have to assume that he is going to be brought in as a replacement for one of our present starting central midfielders.
Cheick Tiote has continually been linked away from the club, and with his recent drop in form, Pardew may well see Sissoko as a direct replacement for the Ivorian.
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