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Newcastle’s Townsend purchase could see one of their stars sold

By Rucker Haringey

Jul 23, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Andros Townsend (17) goes to take the shot that scores the winning goal against Toronto FC at BMO Field. Tottenham defeated Toronto 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 23, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Andros Townsend (17) goes to take the shot that scores the winning goal against Toronto FC at BMO Field. Tottenham defeated Toronto 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Newcastle are closing in on the purchase of Tottenham’s Andros Townsend, but does this mean they need to sell one of their stars?

Newcastle have had an active January transfer window that is now reported to include a purchase of Tottenham winger Andros Townsend. With all of the money spent on incoming talent, it sure feels like the Magpies should be braced for a big name to be headed out of St. James Park.

Optimistic Newcastle fans will say that Mike Ashley hasn’t invested significant money in the club over the past several seasons so there won’t be a real need to sell anyone to fund their previous purchases. For one, I don’t trust Ashley to pump any of his own financial resources into the club at this point so I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. That will, of course, come in the form of a player sale.

There are only two players that I think are both good enough to command a significant transfer fee and that the club might be willing to part with. Note, that the only player I think Newcastle aren’t willing to part with barring an obscene transfer offer is newcomer Georginio Wijnaldum.

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The first, and most likely, candidate to be sold is attacking midfielder Moussa Sissoko. The idea of him leaving Newcastle isn’t exactly a new one, he’s been linked with a number of clubs over the past several months. Newcastle even rreportedly offered him a new contract to improve the transfer fee they can receive once they choose to sell him.

If Sissoko becomes available, expect a number of high-profile sides to pursue him. He’s been Newcastle’s highest rated regular per Whoscored.com and while he can switch off defensively, he’s a terror going forward. If put on the transfer list he’d be a player who’d generate a lot of interest.

The other player who might be on the way out is forward Ayoze Perez. He, like Sissoko, is no stranger to transfer rumors as he’s been heavily linked with Tottenham and others during this window. Undoubtedly Newcastle would like to hold on to their 22-year-old attacker but that may be difficult to do long-term.

Instead, I could see Ashley opting to accept a big transfer offer for Perez in January. While I think this would be a terrible decision unless a truly gigantic offer comes in, I still see it as distinct possibility given Newcastle’s ownership situation. He’d likely be more difficult to replace than Sissoko but could bring in a larger fee.

Newcastle fans should be quite happy with their recent purchases of players like Jonjo Shelvey and potentially Andros Townsend. They should also be wary of who Mike Ashley might sell to pay for their new players.

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