Newcastle asked Gomis to take paycut

Of all the failed transfer targets for Newcastle this summer, one of the most frustrating was probably that of Bafetmibi Gomis. It was said that he wanted to come to Newcastle. Him partnering with Papiss Cisse up front would have been deadly. But then the days went on, the weeks went on, and finally the window closed with Gomis remaining at Lyon. Why?

"Newcastle then came back to me and asked me to make an effort on wages - but I never asked anything as it was my club which wanted to transfer me, so the effort had to be made by Newcastle or Lyon."

The effort on wages means Newcastle asked Gomis to take a pay cut. It should be noted that Newcastle HAD a deal in place to bring Gomis in from Lyon and then, as Gomis says "came back" with a lower offer.  Why we tried to change an agreement with an interested player and apparently did not budge from that position is unclear.

If Newcastle want world class talent, they will have to pay for it. As we discussed on the latest episode of Coming Home Podcastle, perhaps Mike Ashley feels he can either have a competitive Newcastle or a profitable Newcastle, but he can't have both. This may be another instance in which profits won out over the desire to compete.

It is also interesting to point out that Gomis is seemingly unhappy at Lyon. He says he won't be signing a new contract with the club, as he's "disappointed" with the way he was handled this summer. It is possible that he might come to Newcastle next summer, but it's possible that this experience will have soured him on the club and its board.