Newcastle target: Smith may be surplus at
United if Tevez gets his go ahead
Newcastle have made a surprise £6million offer for
Manchester United striker Alan Smith. Manager Sam Allardyce had
said that Smith was not among his targets, but injuries to Joey
Barton and Michael Owen in what is an already threadbare squad have
caused him to switch his sights to the versatile England
man.
Aston Villa and Middlesbrough are also in the hunt for the
26-year-old, who has 18 England caps, but it is believed the
player's preferred choice is Everton if they can raise the money.
Smith is keen to return to his more accustomed role as a striker
but his ability to play in midfield makes him an attractive option
for a stretched Newcastle.
Allardyce is also still keen to have cash left to reinforce his
defence. He has inquired about Bolton's Abdoulaye Faye and is
trying to strike a deal for FC Copenhagen's £4m-rated Brede
Hangeland. Indeed, Allardyce made his move for Smith at the weekend
just days after being rebuffed in a £3m bid for United defender
Mikael Silvestre.
The Newcastle manager admitted after his side's latest preseason
success that it would be a disaster if he is not able to strengthen
one of the Premiership's most fragile squads. The difficulty is
that his fight to loosen the St James' Park pursestrings held by
new chairman Chris Mort continues to be undermined by the form of
the club's misfits, youngsters and trialists, who beat Juventus 2-0
yesterday.
Allardyce, who used goalkeeper Steve Harper as a striker against
Celtic last week, is upset at the amount he has been told he can
invest in his squad this summer. His purchase of David Rozenhal,
Barton, Mark Viduka and Geremi has cost just £1.7million net
following the sale of Scott Parker.
Yet while the likes of Fulham, Portsmouth and West Ham are spending
big, Newcastle could have as little as £10m to shell out on a squad
who limped to 13th place in the Premiership last season. The former
Bolton manager said: "Pre-season results give people false hope. I
wouldn't like to start the season with the players we finished the
game with, because that would be a disaster for us.
"When the pressure arrives, inexperienced players fail. We need
experience. We need to get the players fit as quickly as we can and
then get the experience in the market. Time is running out. A heavy
loss to Celtic or Juventus would have been a reminder to owner Mike
Ashley and Mort that they are down to the bare bones, and that this
is the time to spend heavily. Instead, a team littered with
youngsters again exceeded expectations.
On Thursday, Albert Luque was the game's most significant force,
and few thought they would say that about the Spaniard, who has
started just six Premiership games in his two years at St James'
Park. Yesterday, he again showed plenty of spirit, insisting he
took the penalty earned by Milner in the ninth minute. Luque, who
scored twice against Celtic, then limped off with a groin injury
which is not rated too serious. His replacement, gangling Andy
Carroll, 18, steered a rebound from Obafemi Martins home in the
36th minute.
Three minutes later, he was almost knocked out by Gianluigi Buffon
after chasing a through-ball from Nolberto Solano 'common
assault', according to Allardyce. By the finish, Newcastle's side
included academy seven players and Charlie Barnett, a trialist
midfielder released by Liverpool. Yet still they beat Juventus.
Allardyce does not know whether to laugh or cry. Owen, meanwhile,
should be fit to face Hull on Wednesday after being sidelined with
a thigh injury.
