Newcastle have a history of signing some of France's very best talent. However, with the Magpies on the verge of signing their eleventh French squad member, is the influx of cheap French players going to harm the clubs future prospects?
French footballers gracing the sacred turf at St James' Park has not been unfamiliar in the past, with David Ginola, Laurent Robert, Olivier Bernard and Charles N'Zogbia all donning the famous black and white in the past 20 years. But are there too many now crossing the Channel to find a new home in Newcastle?
The Magpies have a very proud history of producing young English talent, that in some cases have gone on to represent England and score for their country in major competitions. The likes of Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne and more recently Andy Carroll, are all products of the youth academy, which illustrates the past effectiveness of our youth policy.
With the England national team now not being the force it once was, there are increasing pressures on Premier League clubs to produce top young English talent, to keep the standard of the national game at a high level. With teams such as Newcastle now looking abroad more often to sign talent, there is an increasing decline of English players in Premier League starting XI's.
There is no doubt that Newcastle will continue to produce young English players, with the likes of Adam Campbell, a promising young striker, coming through the ranks. A lad that is due either a loan move or more of a first team chance. Also not forgetting Steven Taylor, who remains a crucial part of United's first team, another recent academy success.
I would love to see young English talent at Newcastle, but there appears to not be enough coming through currently. To be able to bring in young English talent from elsewhere costs an arm and a leg, these days and there is no better example than our very own Andy Carroll, who, after scoring just 11 Premier League goals up to January in the 2010/11 season, was sold to Liverpool for a massive £35m in that January transfer window. This may have been excellent business from Newcastle, but this, along with others, is a prime example of the price Premier League clubs have to pay for young English talent, that isn't even proven at the highest level. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Stewart Downing (Liverpool) and Jack Rodwell (Manchester City) all went for near enough £20m. Henderson and Downing have failed to live up to the pressures that come with such a huge fee, making a mockery of English football. Rodwell has only recently moved to Eastlands but the lack of first team opportunity (which he was getting at former club Everton) may have a detrimental affect on his future development.
Therefore, is there any wonder why clubs such as Newcastle, who have smaller budgets, seek abroad for cheap, but talented players? No, in fact its completely logical, on and off the field. The additions of Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Yoan Gouffran, Massadio Haidara and reportedly Toulouse central midfielder Moussa Sissoko this month, all together are said to have cost Newcastle around £17m. A remarkable price for five high class footballers. Therefore, if the signings help us avoid relegation, and push on next season, I don't care where they are from.
There is no doubt nurturing young English/British talent through the youth system is a priority and with these new signings, it may mean our current crop of young players such as Adam Campbell, Sammy Ameobi, Gael Bigirimana, Shane Ferguson, James Tavernier etc, can now start their proper education in the game, whether that be in the reserve side, or going out on loan to a lower league club, as their exposure to the first team may have come too soon, although done them no harm.
Finally the Newcastle hierarchy have acted and enhanced the squad, which should have been enhanced back in the summer, meaning we can now focus on pulling away from the relegation battle and build for next season.
