Premier League Transfers: Newcastle not finished yet

25Jan 2013

England - Premier League

As January transfer windows go, this one has been particularly frenetic for Newcastle with players going in both directions, and they don't appear to be done yet...

Alan Pardew has not had a moment to reflect on recent woes, as turbulent times at St James' Park have forced him into a full month's worth of transfer market dealings.

After such a stellar 2011/12 season, not many could have predicted Newcastle's problems this campaign, though the need to strengthen has been laid bare by an abundance of injuries and poor results.

To add insult to injury, the Newcastle boss lost his leading scorer Demba Ba to Chelsea and it appears that he will also be forced to cope without his skipper Fabricio Coloccini, who has his heart set on a move back to Argentina.

Coloccini has cited a personal crisis for his desire to leave the club but this is of little consolation to the club, who want him to stay until the end of the season at least.

Losing a player of Coloccini's quality and experience at this stage could be critical for the Geordies, who find themselves hovering precariously above the drop zone in 16th and just six points off the bottom - rated at 4.5 for relegation.

However, Pardew still seems to have found a way of attracting some high-quality reinforcements from across the channel in a bid to move the Toon up the league table and away from danger.

In what seems like a concerted raid on France's Ligue 1, the first arrival was French international right back Mathieu Debuchy from Lille, who completed a move after coming close back in the summer.

Next to arrive was highly rated Montpellier centre back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa for around £7 million, which is great news in light of Coloccini's possible departure, but also an area that needed addressing.

Last night, Pardew completed a trio of French signings with the arrival of 26-year-old Bordeaux striker Yoan Gouffran to replace Demba Ba.

After missing out on Loic Remy, this is another notable capture as Gouffran is Bordeaux's leading scorer this season with 12 in 27 league appearances.

And it also looks that it may not stop there with Newcastle being heavily linked to yet another Frenchman in Massadio Haidara. The 20-year-old Nancy full back is apparently having a medical at St James' Park.