Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew says he will not panic buy in the transfer market this summer, despite so far failing to land his top targets.
The Magpies entered the summer on the back of an excellent season and on the hunt for the necessary quality to take them to the next level. However, only Curtis Good, Gael Bigirimana and Romain Amalfitano have made the move to Tyneside during the close season.
Newcastle are known admirers of Lille full-back Mathieu Debuchy and recently had an improved offer rejected by the French outfit, with president Michel Seydoux insisting he will remain at the club.
Pardew remains unflustered though and believes all of the club’s hard work will pay off, with Newcastle’s exceptional fifth-place finish in the Premier League last term making them an attractive proposition. They are 7/1 with Ladbrokes to go one better and finish in the top four in the upcoming campaign.
“It’s out of my hands now. We’ve done the selection process and put a number of players in front of Derek (Llambias, managing director) and Lee (Charnley, club secretary), and now it’s about getting the players who can take the club forward,” said Pardew.
“It’s never easy at this level. But the one thing I do know is that we’re getting the right noises from the players. As has been reported, the players want to come.
“That’s because of the success we had last year – that bodes well. It’s just about getting the deals right.”
Pardew is keen to build a squad capable of fighting on four fronts, with Newcastle returning to Europe for the first time since 2004. The Magpies are 28/1 to go all the way and win the competition.
