Breaking Down the Odds on Latest Newcastle Transfer Rumours

With the shocking news that Joe Kinnear is the new director of football at Newcastle United confirmed by the club Tuesday, the summer transfer window could be evermore interesting for Geordie fans.

The 66-year-old former Toon manager has been quick to point out that he will be in charge of player recruitment at St James' Park (later retreating by saying he'd be working in conjunction with Alan Pardew in an interview with talkSPORT), meaning new transfer targets could be on the horizon for the Magpies.

In the next few slides, we take a look at some of the transfer targets that have been linked with a switch to Tyneside and rate the likelihood of their completion.

It could transpire that the targets discussed do not meet the Joe Kinnear seal of approval, but we're going to take a guess anyway.

Enjoy!

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The thought of Kinnear attempting to pronounce Aubameyang's name makes Toon fans shudder.

It's probably a blessing in disguise as the likelihood of the St. Etienne striker joining Newcastle are slim. His form over the last couple of seasons has attracted the attention of some of Europe's top sides and the Magpies will surely be priced out of a move for the Gabon international, especially with Monaco and Spurs also chasing the forward according to the Daily Mirror.

Even the strong French contingent at Newcastle would not tempt Aubameyang to join, especially given the poor league campaign that the Geordies endured last season.

VERDICT: Time to stop mentioning Aubameyang, other targets are much more realistic.

Darren Bent

We move onto a more likely target for the Geordies according to the Daily Mirror, as Darren Bent edges closer to the exit door at Villa Park.

The England striker has been frozen out of the team at Aston Villa, as Christian Benteke filled his boots with goals and Bent remained unfavoured by manager Paul Lambert.

Bent does not fit in with the new transfer policy at Newcastle, as he is 29 (three years over the age Newcastle see their maximum transfer target age) and doesn't have any real amount of sell-on value.

But for the right price, Bent could be a genuine target for the Magpies, especially if Andy Carroll heads to London to join West Ham.

Bent has a similar style of play to Papiss Cisse, so the likelihood of the pair playing together may be slim. Bent could definitely provide an alternative to the Senegal man though, as the workload can be shared between the two.

VERDICT: This move could have legs, but Bent is unlikely to be Newcastle's first-choice target.

Douglas

A name familiar to the transfer rumour columns over the past 12 months, this summer could finally see Douglas arrive at Newcastle, with the Daily Mail reporting the club remains interested in the defender.

First linked with a move last summer, Douglas decided to stay at FC Twente for the final year of his contract and is now a free agent, potentially allowing Newcastle to swoop if they want their man.

The possible stumbling block is the news that Fabricio Coloccini is set to stay at Newcastle for at least another year, meaning another defender may not be as high a priority as it once was for Alan Pardew/Joe Kinnear.

The Brazil-born Dutchman would certainly improve a poor Magpies defence, although with almost £7m spent on Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa in January as well as having Coloccini and Steven Taylor at his disposal, it is unclear whether Newcastle would want to stump up the wages for Douglas, only to leave him on the bench.

VERDICT: If Newcastle want Douglas, the move will happen. Otherwise, they'll miss out again.

Andy Carroll

This one has dragged on since the end of the season and will continue to do so until Carroll pens a permanent deal somewhere.

Unfortunately for Newcastle fans, that looks likely to be West Ham, as the board at Upton Park empty the coffers for the England striker.

Carroll would almost certainly prefer a homecoming, although Newcastle aren't willing to stump up around £15 million for a man they sold for £35 million just 18 months ago according to the Express.

That leaves the Hammers as the only interested party, meaning Carroll will likely be playing his football in the capital for at least another season.

VERDICT: If Newcastle had the money to splash, they would bring Carroll home. Not just yet though.

Conclusions

It looks certain that Newcastle will strengthen up front this summer, hence the number of strikers included in the previous slides. Midfield seems to be sufficiently covered, while defence could be improved if the powers that be decide to splash the cash.

Those powers could be at war though, as Joe Kinnear insists he has a major part in who the club signs and sells. 

This could lead to conflict and misunderstanding, so the summer is almost certain to be eventful both on and off the pitch for the Magpies.

Never a dull moment at St James' Park.