Although it is fair to say that Newcastle have signed their fair share of unsuccessful big-name players over the years, there is I feel one player out there from this category who could do a decent job for Newcastle next season. With the club resigned to losing Jose Enrique this summer there has been rampant speculation as to who should be his replacement. One name that has been mentioned and roundly derided by fans is Wayne Bridge. Seen by many as a pay cheque player who is more than happy to sit on the bench, Bridge’s talent has been all but forgotten. Bridge is apparently available on loan this season with Man City reportedly willing to pay a chunk of his huge £90k a week wages.
Newcastle are of course hotly pursuing young full back Neil Taylor. The word out of the club however is that he will not be Enrique’s direct replacement, at least not yet. A season long deal for Bridge could, if you’ll excuse the pun, bridge the gap between the signing of Taylor and his readiness to step into the first team. At this point, say the beginning of the 2012/13 season, we would have an accomplished young full back in Taylor with Shane Ferguson able to step in as a capable deputy.
Other names that have been thrown into the mix such as Warnock and Konchesky could do as good a job as Bridge but then what happens next season, or the season after? Newcastle would be left with an aging full back who will quickly be overtaken in the pecking order by Taylor and Ferguson.
But then shouldn’t Newcastle just sign a young left back in place of Enrique? Plainly and simply, decent young full backs with Premier League experience are thin on the ground. Those that would be suited to a move to Newcastle would surely be over priced and out of our reach. So why not look abroad? We could, but would then be faced with the same situation as with Taylor. Any young foreign full back that comes into the club will need time to settle in and will not be ready for first team action straight away.
Signing Bridge as a stopgap measure for the coming season would be a good bit of business for both the club and the player. Newcastle get a good full back on the cheap allowing time for the development of the younger players and Bridge might yet restore his reputation as a footballer and get an offer from another club further down the line.
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bridge is rubbish i would rther have ryan taylor ther or if not i would trust fergison the play left back
You are so wrong.
You would be better off playing with ten men!
Bridge is just a distraction on the pitch, just because he is there, doesn’t mean he actually does anything!
City fan.
Bridge is the most over-rated player I have ever seen. Zero positional sense, embarrassingly one-footed and ponderous. Agree with bluebell – better off with 10 on the pitch who know what they’re doing.
Prefer can alnholt