Former Magpie Dietmar Hamann: “Newcastle having money is a risk”

Old glories never grow old, actually. Premier League classic Didi Hamman, who played a full season for Newcastle before moving on to build his true legend in Liverpool, spoke to Genting Casino on a variety of topics at the end of July, including some related to the organization he helped reach the 1999 FA Cup final.

Hamann, signed from German side Bayern Munich back in the summer of 1998, spent a season in Tyneside playing for the Magpies. Hamann featured for the Black and White on 23 Premier League games starting 22 of them. All in all, he played 1,843 minutes scoring four goals and dishing out one assist for a total tally of five goals created.

Signed at just 24 years of age and with Newcastle finishing 13th on back-to-back seasons (the one prior to his arrival and the one he was part of) it made sense for him to agree to terms with Liverpool ahead of the new century. Only, you know, Liverpool would never win the EPL and although NUFC won’t either, both teams were fairly on similar terms when it came to national-football results for the next five years after that transfer took place.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

That’s the past, though, and we now live in the present, if you know what I’m saying. So it made sense for the folks over at Genting Casino to ask Good Old Didi about the ongoing storylines regarding Newcastle, the new ownership, transfer rumors, etc... Here’s a brief review of what went down in those little word exchanges.

Asked about the potential addition of Jack Harrison from Leeds, who has been quoted at around £35m by media:

The problem for Newcastle is that everyone knows that they have money now.

£35m is steep for Harrison, but he’s a player that would definitely help Newcastle.

Another rumor that hasn’t got that many loud whispers of late are that of Nico Pepe arriving from Arsenal. Not that the link with NUFC is strong, but the player has shown the willingness to find a new workplace after things didn’t quite work out for him in London.

Newcastle are a special club and I think the pressure could be even bigger than at Arsenal because at Arsenal the expectations are lower.

Nicholas Pepe has shown glimpses of what he can do and when he’s on form he’s as good to watch as anyone else but the risk is too big for me.

For a player who performs well one in every eight games, I’d leave that transfer alone if I were Newcastle.

On a much more heard-about basis, Armando Broja has been linked with Newcastle if he moves on from his current Chelsea deal.

[Chelsea] need a striker so I am surprised that they’ll let Armando Broja leave. (Ed: this was before Chelsea signed Raheem Sterling)

[Broja] is a tremendous talent so I’m surprised they’re letting him leave.

Tammy Abraham is another one who left and has done really well and I think clubs like Chelsea have too many players.

The system is wrong. There should be a restriction on how many players you can have under contract because now these clubs just loan the players out.

Finally and obviously, the question about Newcastle’s new ownership and never-ending money arrived at Didi’s plate, to which he had some thoughts to share.

Newcastle having money is a risk because you have you make sure players aren’t just coming for the money.

So far Newcastle have withstood all these agent offers and I am liking what they’re building so far.

We hear you, DH, we hear you.

And we can’t wait for the season and the ball to get rolling once and for all this weekend.