• Dan Gosling finalises controversial Newcastle
deal
• Midfielder will miss remainder of 2010 with knee injury
Dan Gosling has completed
his move to Newcastle United
from
Everton
but will not be able to make
his debut for several months because he is recovering from a
serious knee injury.
The 20-year-old midfielder, who underwent anterior cruciate
ligament surgery in March which was then expected to keep him out
until December, signed a four-year contract on Tyneside after
arriving on a free transfer which has caused considerable
consternation at Goodison Park.
Everton were infuriated by Gosling's exploitation of a legal
loophole which enabled a player who cost them £2m when he joined
from Plymouth Argyle in January 2008 to depart for nothing.
Chris Hughton, though, was thrilled to have recruited precisely
the type of player Mike Ashley, Newcastle's owner, is seeking –
young, energetic and with real potential for future resale. "We are
delighted to have signed Dan," Newcastle's manager said. "He's the
right age and profile so he's an appealing capture for us. He's
young but he has Premier League experience and he's someone who can
continue to develop his game. We see him as a high-energy
box-to-box player. He won't be fazed by anything that's in front of
him."
Gosling was equally enthusiastic. "It's a brilliant move for
me," he said. "I can't wait to get started. I've played at St
James' Park and I know all about the amazing atmosphere. It will be
a great day when I finally get to run out in front of 50,000
people."
Things have changed rapidly since early May when Gosling said of
Everton: "There's no other club I'd rather be at." Indeed Everton
feel badly let down by a player whose salary they intended to
double despite his almost certainly being sidelined for most of the
remainder of 2010.
Gosling had been recruited by David Moyes on a three-year deal
with an agreement to extend it on improved terms this summer. Last
spring Everton duly offered him a two-year extension which would
have lifted his weekly wage from £8,000 to around £16,000 but
Goodison Park officials failed to put this revised offer in writing
by the mid-May deadline, thereby permitting the midfielder to leave
on a free.
His relocation to Newcastle was agreed two weeks ago but was not
finalised while Everton debated appealing to the Premier League for
compensation after losing him on what they regard as a harsh
technicality which enabled Gosling to negotiate a lucrative
signing-on fee at St James' Park. The move has also not gone down
well at Plymouth, who would have been entitled to a percentage of
any sum Everton made from a future sale.
Gosling, who can play at right-back as well as in midfield, made
22 Premier League appearances for Everton, 13 as a substitute,
scoring four goals.