This Transfer Target is the Real Deal – and he’s only £5m

Following on from what was an unbearable transfer window for the Newcastle faithful, the tabloids seem to have targeted the club as potential heavy spenders in January in anticipation of a rough first half of the season which could force Ashley's hand in the market.

As well as continued rumours of a possible move for Blackpool’s Tom Ince in the new year, the Magpies are also being linked with players capable of adding fire power up front, one of them being Herenveen’s Alfred Finnbogason.

Despite the Club’s only activity in the summer being the loan signing of Remy, the squad could still do with an extra striker come January if Cisse doesn’t reignite his form which helped catapult us to fifth.

Certainly, the Icelandic international looks mightily impressive on paper, having scored 30 goals in 35 Eredivisie appearances since his arrival in August 2012. The 24 year old has also started the 2013-14 campaign in a rich vein of form, netting 6 in 4 games thus far.

It seems that Newcastle are linked to a lot of players from the Eredivisie each year, and you can see why given the excellent Dutch youth system and its reputation as a league with technical ability in abundance.

However, as I always do when the Club are supposedly monitoring players from said league, we must examine the infamous “Afonso Alves illusion”. In fact, Finnbogason plays for the same club Alves did before his ill-fated spell at Middlesbrough, proving that a remarkable goal ratio doesn’t always guarantee an ability to compete in the Premier League. It’s not enough to look at stats on a piece of paper in order to start any rave reviews.

Nevertheless, Toon scouts have reportedly had a look at the striker during Iceland’s recent qualifiers, which would suggest that Kinnear and co. want to have a good look at the lad before any formal approach is made. Despite that, I wouldn’t get too excited given the Club’s tendency to show promise in the market before ultimate inactivity.

Herenveen supposedly offered the starlet to the Club for around £5m in the summer, which apparently wasn’t pursued due to negotiations over Bafetimbi Gomis being the priority. Now that said discussions have ended, perhaps a move for the Icelandic forward could be on the cards. But for now, it’s a long wait till the next opportunity for the sweet, sweet feeling of a permanent signing. 

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