When Newcastle United were relegated from the Premier League in 2009, many of their higher profile players jumped from the sinking ship. The likes of Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins, Mark Viduka and Sebastien Bassong all moved on as they were far from enthusiastic about a season in the Championship. Currently sitting second from bottom in the Premier League table, Bolton could well be faced with the same situation in the summer, which is when Newcastle manager Alan Pardew could well be looking to pounce.

Newcastle are being linked with Bolton youngster Mark Davies in the Evening Chronicle. The 23-year-old midfielder has impressed in the Premier League over the last couple of seasons, with his quick footwork and high level of work-rate catching the eye. He is your traditional box-to-box midfielder and it is not only Pardew who is thought to rate him highly, but his current boss Owen Coyle also has plenty of words of praise for Davies.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-video’ align=’right’]

Coyle has raved about Davies, saying: “Mark’s style of play is a rare commodity. There are not many midfielders around who can keep the ball like he does. When Mark is at his best he drives forward and takes people on. The best example of that was Paul Gascoigne who could drive with the ball.” Uh-oh, Gazza mention alert! As soon as someone is labelled the ‘next Gascoigne’ then Newcastle are bound to be sniffing around.

Although he’s obviously not the next Paul Gascogine, Mark Davies does look like a very tidy little player and with him only turning 24 this Saturday, he still has plenty of developing to do and can potentially become a complete midfielder. While the Trotters will be fighting hard until the last day of the season to avoid the drop, if Bolton were relegated then Davies may be looking for an exit.

One thing Newcastle will have to bear in mind is that his previous club Wolves are thought to have agreed a sell-on clause with Bolton. But as the video below shows, Mark Davies well be worth investing time and money in by Pardew and Newcastle…