Newcastle United are set to sell captain and midfielder Kevin Nolan to Championship side West Ham for a fee believed to be in the region of £2million.
When I heard the news I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Surprise
This move has came as a surprised to me but reading some of the Newcastle’s fans comments they are not surprised.
They are accustomed to their best players being sold in recent years and the Geordies are sad to see their captain leave.
Contract
Nolan was offered a new two-year contract at St James Park but its believed that he wanted a five year deal. It now looks like he will end speculation about his future with a move to the Irons.
Favourite
Kevin Nolan is a big favourite of West Ham boss Sam Allardyce from their years together at Bolton and he also signed the midfielder when he joined the Magpies as boss. Allardyce made Nolan his captain at Bolton despite his relatively tender age.
Nolan seemed to enjoy playing under the guidance of Sam Allardyce at Wanderers. He will again get the chance to link up with his former-boss at the Boleyn Ground.
Superb
Kevin Nolan enjoyed a superb season in black and white last season. The 28 year-old scored 12 goals in the Premier League last season as the Magpies finished comfortably in midtable. He was also an inspirational figure in their promotion campaign the season before.
Why
I can’t understand why Kevin Nolan would move to West Ham. He will have to uproot his family from the North East. He will also be dropping down a division by signing for the Hammers.
The only reason I can think of for Nolan to sign for West Ham is the chance to work with Sam Allardyce again. West Ham are still a decent size club but they could lose a lot of their best players this summer.
Money
Newcastle can’t have sold the Liverpool-born star for the money. Newcastle still have a massive chunk of the £35million fee they received from the January sale of striker Andy Carroll to Liverpool.
Also the fee that they receive is unlikely to boost boss Alan Pardew’s transfer kitty by much. Newcastle were expected to spend big but it could be one of those summers for the Toon Army.
Disappointed
Newcastle teammate Joey Barton revealed his disappointment on his Twitter account writing: “Just on my way to Ascot, feel sick. Great player, leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a friend for life. Devastated to see him SOLD”.
A lot of Newcastle fans will be feeling the same way after hearing the news. The news certainly won’t help the cause of Newcastle chairman Mike Ashley. He is already loathed by the St James Park faithful and the sale of Nolan will not help his popularity rating on Tyneside.
Great
On the positive side he will be a great signing for West Ham. He is not only a good player but as Joey Barton stated a great leader. He is the sort player that leads by example.
Nolan is exactly the sort of character that West Ham need next season to try and get them back into the top flight. I’m sure most West Ham fans will be pleased with this signing. I believe this is a real coup for West Ham boss Sam Allardyce.
For Newcastle though I believe it is a big mistake selling Kevin Nolan. However with the goings on at the club in recent times nothing surprises you with Newcastle.
Are Newcastle right to sell captain Kevin Nolan?
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
