Tranquillo Barnetta still stuck in Jesmond? – Eternally linked Toon targets who never signed

Particularly in the Mike Ashley era, when even a slither of joy or excitement was so unbelievably scarce, we as Newcastle fans always eagerly awaited fresh transfer rumours. Scouting the ever-growing list of linked players on YouTube became a regular pass time every Summer and January, and very few of these players ever ended up holding a black and white scarf on the St James Park turf.

Let’s take a look at some of the most notorious names that were recurring links window after window but never signed, and decipher whether we missed a golden opportunity or dodged a major bullet..

Tranquillo Barnetta

Legend has it that Barnetta has been locked in his Jesmond hotel room for the last 14 years. The Swiss midfielder was rumoured to be an imminent signing before the 11/12 season following the departures of Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan.

A regular starter for both his national team and Bayer Leverkusen at the time, he looked to be a potential improvement on his predecessors. However, Newcastle’s new midfield duo of Yohan Cabaye and the late Cheick Tiote proved to be a match made in heaven as the Magpies miraculously ended the season in 5th, with very few at that point holding many regrets about not signing Barnetta.

Barnetta’s career stagnated as Leverkusen did not offer him a new contract at the end of the following season. After an uninspiring spell at Schalke, a failed loan to Frankfurt and a year in the MLS with Philadelphia, he returned to his boyhood club St Gallen, where he would end his career. Although we will never know what he could have achieved had he moved to Newcastle before what was a very exciting season, it is fair to say most fans aren’t too gutted that a move never did materialise.

Bas Dost

The man. The myth. The legend. The main inspiration for this list has to be Bas Dost, a name more familiar to Newcastle fans than many who have actually played for the club. No matter where Dost moved, how good his form was or how good we were doing,…

Source link : https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2024/07/25/tranquillo-barnetta-still-stuck-in-jesmond-eternally-linked-toon-targets-who-never-signed/

Author : Olly Hawkins

Publish date : 2024-07-25 18:37:42

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.