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Newcastle are on their way to finally bringing in Luuk de Jong, according to the Borussia Monchengladbach Twitter account:
Luuk #deJong trainiert heute nicht mit der #Fohlenelf . Der Angreifer macht sich gerade auf den Weg zum Medizincheck nach Newcastle.
— Borussia (@borussia) January 28, 2014
The Toon have been longtime suitors of de Jong, having bid for him while he was with FC Twente. His time at Gladbach has been less than stellar, with some attributing his poor performances to his desire to be elsewhere. The move comes on the heels of the major news that NUFC had sold Yohan Cabaye to his boyhood club Paris St. Germain, but de Jong is not (and should not be) seen as a replacement for the attacking midfielder. He is a talented, still young (23), and capable of playing something of a forward destroyer/target man hybrid role. (For more on de Jong's skill set, check out this profile we did on him in 2012.)
Reports seem to suggest that this move will be a loan with an option to buy later. If that's the case, it might just be a shrewd move, as long as the price is fixed. He represents something of a gamble, given his most recent history, but his talent is such that he could well justify whatever price tag Gladbach put on him. If you're prone to pessimism (and after yesterday the past 10 or so years, who can blame you if you are?), it's nice to get de Jong, but he's still just another player on loan, representative of Joe F. Kinnear's ineptitude in "getting players over the line."
I'm excited. This won't take away the sting of losing Dreamboat, but here's another player that will be motivated to prove that the play matches the hype. And just in time for the derby, too.
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