Newcastle: After finally getting access to Newcastle's transfer kitty, Alan Pardew must hope the signing of a trio of exciting attackers in the offseason helps him win over the growing band of doubters at St. James' Park.
Pardew faced the wrath of Newcastle's passionate supporters last season during an insipid second half of the Premier League campaign that exposed the lack of depth in his squad and the lack of ambition in the boardroom.
Not a single player arrived on a permanent deal in either transfer window - even after the sale of star midfielder Yohan Cabaye in January - while the team went out early in both cup competitions with the management's focus entirely on staying in the Premier League. They ended up placing 10th.
Unsurprisingly, frustration among fans grew but they will be delighted to see Pardew spend around 30 million pounds ($50 million) this summer, notably on Ajax captain Siem de Jong - a real coup for Newcastle - and strikers Remy Cabella and Emmanuel Riviere.
The arrival of Cabella and Riviere, from Montpellier and Monaco respectively, adds two more names to the legion of French players at Newcastle and should help make up for the loss of Loic Remy, who returned to Queens Park Rangers after a loan spell.
"It's taken us a while to build and we have had to lose one or two great players along the way, Cabaye in particular," Pardew said. "But we always knew that once this summer came, we could make a bigger step, maybe, and hopefully that's reflected in performances."
Time will tell if Pardew sticks to his word and continues to keep his calm on the touchline after getting a lengthy ban last season for head-butting Hull midfielder David Meyler.
In: Remy Cabella (Montpellier), Emmanuel Riviere (Monaco), Siem de Jong (Ajax), Daryl Janmaat (Feyenoord), Ayoze Perez (Tenerife), Jack Colback (Sunderland), Facundo Ferreyra (Shakhtar Donetsk on loan).
Out: Mathieu Debuchy (Arsenal), Sylvain Marveaux (Guingamp on loan), Shola Ameobi (released).
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