One target who doesn’t look to be heading to Newcastle is Ryan Babel.
The Dutch veteran has reportedly agreed a deal to move back to Ajax, with Voetbal International claiming that a loan move from Galatasaray is all but official.
According to VI, a deal is agreed apart from a few ‘legal matters’, with Ajax looking to add cover for the injured David Neres.
The 33-year-old was also a target for Newcastle and Aston Villa, with the two clubs seemingly targeting exactly the same players this month. According to Turkish Football, the Premier League duo had expressed an interest in Babel.
Will losing out to Ajax go down as a blow for Newcastle? You’d like to think not. While Babel was excellent for Fulham last time he was in the Premier League, it wasn’t difficult to standout in that side.
He’s certainly improved with age, but a 33-year-old is hardly the answer to our problems. He’s a player who wouldn’t have excited fans, so seeing him potentially move elsewhere is a good thing.
And going to Ajax instead of Villa is even better. There would have been a lot of fans asking ‘what if’ had he joined our Premier League rivals and impressed.
Talk of Newcastle targeting Babel never sounded plausible to begin with. Hopefully he does well in his third spell at Ajax, but there’ll be no tears on Tyneside when the deal is announced.
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