Newcastle will look to the Netherlands this summer in search of a replacement for French flop Emmanuel Riviére.
Expectations were high among the Geordie faithful in August as their new £5million striker – who finished as AS Monaco’s top scorer last season, ahead of Colombian duo Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez – put pen-to-paper on a long-term deal.
Hopes were soon dashed as the 25-year-old failed to make any significant impact in his first few appearances in a black and white jersey. Eighteen games into his Newcastle career, the Frenchman has failed to get to grips with the demands of the Premier League with his first goal continuing to elude him, despite being handed plenty of clear-cut chances on a weekly basis.
With the club’s hierarchy keen on cutting their losses with Emmanuel, chief scout Graham Carr has been handed the assignment of finding his replacement. In order to conform with Mike Ashley’s expectations of finding the best value for money signing, the former-Blackpool manager has elected to conduct his search abroad, with the Netherlands looking the most likely destination.
To date, Carr’s exploits in the Eredivisie have been a success, unearthing fine Premier League-calibre talents such as Cheick Tiote and Daryl Janmaat, hence his persistence to find the next European star to come out of the Netherlands, with the hope they follow a similar career path to the likes of Luis Suarez and Wilfried Bony, rather than Albert Luque or Alfonso Alves.
The latest Dutchman to be linked with a move to Newcastle is attacking midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum – who, earlier this week, admitted discussing life on Tyneside with fellow compatriot Tim Krul. However, the 24-year-old is not alone on Carr’s summer wish-list.
Heerenveen striker Mark Uth – a long-term target of Newcastle’s – tops Carr’s short-list of goal-shy Riviére replacements. The German striker is an intelligent forward who possesses great technical ability. His awareness and phenomenal ability to time his runs to perfection cause the opposition defenders countless problems each week, which is backed up by his record of 14 goals, and 10 assists, in 30 games this season.
By virtue of his current contract expiring at the end of next season, coupled with Heerenveen’s difficult financial position, the Dutch club may be forced to cash in on their prized asset but, with Tottenham also tracking the 23-year-old, Newcastle will have to act fast to secure Uth’s signature.
Should they fail in their attempts to sign the German, Carr has already lined up a potential alternative – FC Twente’s Luc Castaignos. The Dutch striker came close to securing a move to the Premier League last summer, after Swansea City had a £6.5million bid accepted. However, Gary Monk elected not to follow up his initial interest in the 22-year-old having snapped up French free-agent Bafetimbi Gomis – another target of Newcastle’s. Like Uth, Luc’s current contract is set to expire at the end of next season, meaning he should be available for a cut-price this summer.
All of this aside, the potential arrival of a replacement for Emmanuel Riviere hangs in the balance as potential suitors for the French flop are few and far between. Shakhtar Donetsk loanee Facundo Ferreyra will also depart the club at the end of the season but the signing of a replacement is unlikely with academy product Adam Armstrong on the brink of the senior squad.
