When news first filtered through of Newcastle United’s interest in Alassane Plea, Magpies supporters would have been forgiven for thinking they had landed back in a previous pre-Rafa Benitez-orchestrated transfer window.
The so-called ‘French Revolution’ which former chief scout Graham Carr masterminded on Tyneside saw a succession of players make the move across the Channel and up to the North East.
Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko and Mathieu Debuchy were three notable successes – while Florian Thauvin, Romain Amalfitano and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa were three of the failures.
But on top of the Gallic players who did join the Magpies during the Carr era, there were also a series of high-profile strikers who Newcastle missed out on.
Loic Remy did eventually join the Magpies on loan from Queens Park Rangers during the summer of 2013, but only six months after the Londoners pipped the Magpies to his £8million signature from Marseille. In United’s defence, they were not outbid on price on that occasion; instead, Remy opted for the £70,000-plus pay packet on offer at QPR.
Nice’s French forward Alassane Plea scores a goal during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Nice at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Deecmber 11, 2016. / AFP / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
(Image: AFP)
But, Remy aside, there have been famous examples of when Newcastle have pursued Ligue 1 strikers – but ultimately failed to pay the asking price.
During his Lyon days, Bafetimbi Gomis was someone who the Magpies held a long-term interest in.
Before the forward joined Swansea City, United repeatedly contacted the Ligue 1 club, but failed to ever match Lyon’s asking price.
Given his subsequent mixed success since – Gomis scored just 17 goals in 71 appearances for Swansea, but has netted 32 times in just 38 games for Galatasaray so far – some fans may argue Newcastle were fortunate not to bring Gomis to Tyneside.
But the same cannot be said of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Michy Batshuayi or Alexandre Lacazette.
All three forwards were scouted extensively by Carr during their respective playing days at Saint-Etienne, Marseille and Lyon.
Newcastle seriously considered moves for all three – and even had offers rejected for Batshuayi and Lacazette – but they refused to meet the figures being demanded by the French clubs.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
(Image: 2016 Getty Images)
Aubameyang eventually joined Borussia Dortmund for £12m in 2013, and has subsequently scored 108 goals in 157 league games for the German outfit and Arsenal.
Batshuayi, meanwhile, signed for Chelsea in a £33m deal in 2016 – and, though he has struggled for gametime in west London, he scored seven goals in 10 games on loan at Dortmund last term, with Newcastle having failed in a bid to bring the Belgian to Tyneside on a temporary deal.
After 100 goals in 203 league games for Lyon, Lacazette finally landed a dream £46m transfer to Arsenal last summer – and has scored 14 times in 32 Premier League appearances since.
And these past examples of failed pursuits of France-based forwards have understandably left Newcastle fans sceptical about the club’s approach for Nice forward Plea.
Over the course of the past two seasons, Plea has scored 35 goals in 70 games and the 25-year-old has caught the eye of a number of Premier League clubs.
Newcastle have had an initial bid rejected for the Frenchman, but they remain in talks with Nice for the £30m-rated striker – though Fulham, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are all interested in Plea, too.
Rafa Benitez
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
With one offer rebuffed, the pressure is now on the Magpies to see if they can actually lure Plea to Tyneside.
A source in France claims that the Frenchman is keen on linking up with Rafa Benitez and would love to play for the former Real Madrid manager.
And, with reports suggesting Aleksandar Mitrovic is closing in on a permanent move to Fulham, that should help release some funds for Newcastle to really pursue Plea.
In recent years, United fans have understandably become suspicious that news leaks out about club-record bids for strikers who would excite the support base at seemingly opportune moments – for example, it is currently season-ticket renewal time – only for the deal to fail to materialise, usually because Newcastle fail to meet the asking price.
Take the Nicolai Jorgensen saga in January. Feyenoord made it clear to Newcastle £20m was the minimum they would accept for the forward, but United made three bids – the highest of which was £15m.
Nicolai Jorgensen of Denmark
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
If United had no inclination to pay the Dutch outfit’s asking price, they should have made that clear to Benitez – who could then have moved on to alternative targets earlier.
In hindsight, the Newcastle hierarchy appear justified in refusing to part with £20m for Jorgensen given his struggles at the World Cup and in the Eredivisie. Benitez, however, was confident he would have brought the best out of the Denmark international.
But whether Jorgensen would have been a success on Tyneside or not is a moot point now. The focus has shifted to Plea.
If Newcastle do not think he is worth such an exorbitant fee, they need to make a serious move for a cheaper alternative like West Bromwich Albion’s Salomon Rondon, who has a £16.5m release clause.
But the Magpies now have an opportunity to inject some much-needed momentum into a frustratingly-slow transfer window, which has seen only Martin Dubravka make his loan deal permanent and Ki Sung-yueng join on a free transfer.
A £25m-plus move for Plea would at least partially appease Benitez, excite the fanbase, and potentially convince other transfer targets that United really do have ambition. Who knows, it may even help persuade Benitez to sign that new, long-term deal which is on the table.
Newcastle have been here before with Ligue 1 strikers. They have to make sure it is different this time – otherwise the cynicism among supporters will only grow.
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