Papiss Cisse: 10 Things to Expect from Newcastle's New Signing

Just a week ago today, Newcastle United completed the signing of Senegal striker Papiss Demba Cisse, for a fee believed to be around the £10 million range.

Now that we've had a week to let the news settle in, I'm going to give you the lowdown on what you can expect to see from Cisse upon his return from the African Cup of Nations.

Tons of Goals

The most obvious thing you can expect from Cisse is goal-scoring.

Cisse has built himself a fantastic attacking portfolio since he first arrived in Germany in 2009 and one can only imagine how successful he'll be in the Premier League.

Scoring an eye-popping 37 goals in just 65 games in the Bundesliga over three years, Cisse has the ability to be a consistent goal scorer, much like his new clubmate Demba Ba.

Outside of Ba, Newcastle's second-leading goal scorer is Leon Best with just four; it's obvious the main reason manager Alan Pardew brought in Cisse is to alleviate their dependence on Demba Ba. 

With his goals-to-game ratio rapidly increasing as his career progresses, Cisse will reach his peak at Newcastle, becoming a force to be reckoned with on the highest stage possible.

Consistency

Consistency is something Newcastle have struggled with lately, especially in front of goal.

Shola Ameobi and Leon Best can be streaky goal scorers for short stretches but, really, outside of Demba Ba—as I mentioned earlier—Newcastle don't have another option they can truly rely on.

Enter Papiss Cisse.

Cisse rarely has dry spells in scoring and has proven over a seven-year career he is able to score in any condition, and against any opponent.

The EPL might be a slightly steeper challenge for Cisse but, for a man who has scored 90 goals in 205 career games, consistent scoring might not be such a tall task.

Excitement

As the video shows, Cisse has the potential to be one of the more exciting strikers in the Premier League.

Cisse will light up St. James' Park with his ability to seemingly come out of nowhere to find himself in great scoring positions time and time again.

Papiss will be everything Newcastle expected—but didn't get—out of their past big money attacking signings.

Cisse will combine the goal-poaching prowess of Michael Owen with athleticism similar to Obafemi Martins and the flair of Patrick Kluivert, making for a wonderful sight for Newcastle fans. 

A Formidable Partnership with Demba Ba

With the duo being teammates for Senegal in the African Cup of Nations, there is every chance that Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba will form a formidable partnership once they make it back to England.

Ba has already proven himself as a Premier League star, and it won't take too long for Cisse to establish himself as an elite striker, either.

What this will make for is a goal-scoring machine, unparalleled by any other strike partnership in the league.

You can just see their nicknames now: "the Senegalese Sensations,""Double Demba," "The Lions of Taranga."

I certainly wouldn't want to be caught trying to defend them. 

A Replacement for Andy Carroll

With the sudden rise of Demba Ba, home-grown striker Andy Carroll's departure to Liverpool has been all but forgotten.

Carroll did leave one thing behind though: the No. 9 shirt.

The iconic number has already been awarded to Cisse and, with that, fans can finally forget all about their former starlet.

Instead, Cisse will attempt to take on the No. 9 tradition and I'm sure he'll do it well.

Even Alan Pardew himself has said that Cisse is the perfect replacement for Carroll, so you can expect that he'll be just as good—if not better—than Caroll was in the black and white.

Shirt Sales

As I mentioned, Cisse will be taking on the vacant No. 9.

The shirt comes with a lot of responsibility, and likely a lot of sales.

If Cisse performs to his potential, Newcastle will make a fortune selling his new shirt, with fans likely flooding to get their hands on a shirt that doesn't read "Shearer."

This is no criticism of Alan Shearer, but new blood will be welcomed in terms of No. 9 shirts, as Cisse prepares to represent the current generation of Newcastle teams.

International Representation

It's always nice to see Newcastle players flying the Geordie flag whilst representing their nation, and the same can—and will—be said about Papiss Cisse.

It's good to see that Newcastle have international-quality players on their squad.

At the very least, Cisse's play in the African Cup of Nations gives fans something to watch whilst the Magpies aren't on. 

Transfer Talk

As with any good player not playing for the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, you can expect some interest from other teams if Cisse comes out of the gates running.

We've already seen stars leave Newcastle over the past year, with Nolan, Carroll and Barton departing the club despite playing major roles.

We can only hope that Newcastle will retain their exciting new striker this time around, especially considering they spent such a large amount acquiring him. 

The Retention of Other Star Players

If Newcastle do keep a hold of Cisse, it could also lead some of Newcastle's other stars to stay once the summer transfer window arrives.

Ba will certainly be enticed to stay on Tyneside, what with his Senegalese teammate joining forces with him.

As for Newcastle's other players, if Cisse raises the club's competitiveness—possibly helping them reach Europe—it's more than likely that they'll opt to stay. There won't be too many better options in England.

A Run at Europe

Cisse's arrival could be very important down the stretch for Newcastle, as they attempt to hold off Liverpool and Arsenal in qualifying for the Europa League.

With Cisse chipping in a goal (or two) every other game, Newcastle can make a good run at repeating their fantastic form earlier this season.

Along with contributions from elsewhere—particularly in defence—Newcastle may continue their push for the Europa League, and maybe even for the Champions League.