Is Papiss Cisse a replacement or partner for Demba Ba?

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has taken a lot of stick from the Toon Army at times during his reign, a lot of it justified.

He has sold a number of the clubs star players and really made manager Alan Pardew earn his money.

However could he have redeemed himself slightly with a big signing in January?

Signing

Newcastle have completed the £10million signing of Freiburg striker Papiss Cisse. The signing has came as a bit of a surprise as boss Pardew was believed to be interested in signing a centre-back to boost his backline.

Cisse is highly-rated after a few prolific seasons in the Bundesliga with his German side. The Senegal international fired home 22 goals in the German top flight last season and was also attracting the attention of Sunderland.

Cisse is regarded as a superb goal poacher. Having seen him play in the Bundesliga on a number of occasions I would say that he will fit in really well in the Premier League. This is a major coup for Newcastle, but for me it raises the question is he Demba Ba’s replacement?

Ba

Cisse’s international teammate Demba Ba has become one of the most in-demand strikers in the English top flight, having scored 15 Premier League goals this season. His form has lead to interest from the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp recently revealed that Ba has a minimum fee release clause in his contract but is unsure about the fee because he has been given different figures by different people.

I have heard fee’s from £7million-£10million talked about and at the moment he would look a steal at those sorts of figures. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has said that none of his star players will be leaving in January but he wouldn’t be able to stop Ba leaving if a big offer came in.

At 26 Demba Ba is at the peak of his powers and has shown that in his goal scoring form. I can’t help thinking that if he carries on scoring goals at his current rate that he will be sold, whether it be in January or next summer.

Owner

Anyway back to the aforementioned Mike Ashley. The owner has stated in the past that he would run Newcastle like a business and he has certainly kept to his word.

Ashley has sold the likes of Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan and released Joey Barton in the last 12 months. Pardew may be the Newcastle manager but Mike Ashley is the man that makes every decision at the club.

Most of those deals have turned out well for the Magpies but it wasn’t the teams performance that motivated those changes, it was cold hard cash. Andy Carroll joining Liverpool for £35million was always going to be a silly deal for the buyer and a superb piece of business for the seller.

Ashley is a businessman and doesn’t seem to care if Newcastle are successful on the pitch. If he could sell any of the current squad for a big transfer fee he wouldn’t hesitate to do so. Newcastle fans will be happy with the new signing but I’m sure a lot of Magpies fans will be sceptical about the deal.

Europe

Some might say that the way Mike Ashley has run the club has been successful with the club currently sitting sixth in the Premier League table. However those people shouldn’t be fooled by whom is responsible for the teams performance this season.

The man responsible for Newcastle’s good form this season is boss Alan Pardew. He has almost been working with one hand tied behind his back at times on Tyneside. However he has bought well with the money he has been given and made Newcastle successful this season.

Partnership

If Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse are given a chance to form a partnership at club level I’m sure they will be successful. The pair already have experience of playing together at international level with Senegal and I’m sure they wouldn’t take long to establish an understanding on Tyneside.

Summer

I’m not a Newcastle fan but I hope that Newcastle can keep hold of Demba Ba. The Toon Army deserve a bit of excitement and success. With Demba Ba in their team they are more likely to experience that.

Unfortunately, I think if Newcastle receive a big bid for the Senegal striker then he will be sold. Newcastle may be able to hold onto their star striker till the summer but I think if Mike Ashley has his way the front man will leave the club.

Is Papiss Cisse a replacement or partner for Demba Ba?