Newcastle United Transfer Talk: 6 Players the Toon Should Sell This Summer

Many a rumour has been started recently about Newcastle's potential activity in the upcoming summer transfer window, but most of the focus has been on players joining the club.

The reality is, though, that the summer is a time for departure as well as arrival, and I have outlined six players who Newcastle should send packing when the time comes in a couple of months. 

Nile Ranger

Bad boy Nile Ranger has already been released by two clubs for his poor behaviour, and Newcastle might not hesitate to make themselves his third this summer.

Back in early November, Ranger was arrested for an alcohol-related incident for the second time during his stint at Newcastle, and, as a result, his once bright future looks to have been darkened considerably.

Ranger hasn't appeared on the pitch for Newcastle since the arrest, even when Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse were in Africa. Instead, he was loaned out to Barnsley—a sign of things to come in the summer.

Gabriel Obertan

Frenchman Gabriel Obertan has had a torrid time on Tyneside in 2011-12 and he may well leave the club this summer if his performance doesn't improve rapidly.

Obertan simply doesn't seem suited to the Premier League, which was the exact feeling of Manchester United when they let him join the Magpies.

The winger does have some promise, though, and this could lead some teams elsewhere in Europe to make a somewhat respectable offer for his services.

A fee of around £6 million sending Obertan back to his native France seems a likely transfer move, but really any offer close to this should be accepted by Newcastle in a heartbeat.

Mike Williamson

Though his effort is admirable, Mike Williamson is unfortunately nothing more than a Championship-level defender.

With Newcastle looking to upgrade the position in the summer, Williamson could be on his way out the door as he'll be nothing more than dead weight and an extra contract to the Magpies.

Williamson could then find himself back in the lower leagues, but a major transfer fee obviously shouldn't be expected from a club way down there.

Steve Harper

Out-of-favour 'keeper Steve Harper—even at the age of 36—can still be a productive Premier League goalkeeper.

With the emergence of Tim Krul, though, Harper has found it hard to get a look, and, as a result, Newcastle should look to free their longest-tenured player as he reaches the tail-end of his career.

Having been loaned to Brighton already this season, a move to the lower leagues is not out of the question and, if anything, is likely.

This move wouldn't be financially enticing to Newcastle, but instead would be a chance for the club to pay Harper back for his 19 years of service by giving him the opportunity to be a starting goalkeeper again. 

Shola Ameobi

Striker Shola Ameobi has proved time and time again that he has no place starting in the Premier League.

Even on the bench, Ameobi is somewhat out of place, making mistake after mistake and just generally being unproductive in his 12 years with the club.

His production has not been great, and with Papiss Cisse pushing Leon Best to the bench, the domino effect could lead to Ameobi seeing his last days on Tyneside.

There's no surprise that Ameobi's best season in a Newcastle shirt was back in the sole Championship season, which is clearly a league he can thrive in and in which he ultimately belongs. 

Xisco

Spanish striker Xisco, who has yet to even reach 10 appearances for the Toon since joining back in 2008, will go down in club history.

Of course, Xisco won't be remembered for what he did on the field, but rather for the significance of his signing, as it was this signing that led to the infamous departure of Kevin Keegan just days later.

Along with "Nacho" Gonzales and Nile Ranger, Xisco was signed at Dennis Wise's request, leading Keegan to believe that his authority was diminished and eventually causing his departure.

So far, Xisco's transfer fee—reported to have been around £7 million at the time—has cost Newcastle nearly £1 million for each appearance.

Newcastle will have almost no chance of receiving a good percentage of this fee back for Xisco, but they may as well make a move to get the best offer they can.

There seems to be a fair bit of interest from Spain, as he has had three loan stints over there since joining NUFC.