It must’ve been a heart sinking moment for Newcastle United fans when news began to emanate around St. James’ Park that defender and captain Fabricio Coloccini wanted out of the club. Hearing that a mainstay in any starting XI has requested to depart any team is never going to be good thing, especially with the position the club found themselves in at the time.
As such, manager Alan Pardew went on his way to strengthen a backline that had been shipping an exponential amounts of goals that had seen them emerge as relegation candidates. During January, Newcastle secured the signings of Mathieu Debuchy and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, along with Moussa Sissoko, to solidify their defensive ranks.
With Coloccini, Davide Santon and Tim Krul all taking up their place in the starting XI, the additions of Debuchy and Yanga-Mbiwa will only improve their chances of staving off the threat of relegation and push on next season, especially they manage to hold onto their Argentinean equivalent of David Luiz.
The solidity of that defence, not to mention the likelihood of keeping Mike Williamson and James Perch out of the starting XI, is one in which Newcastle can build upon, especially with Sissoko and Yoan Gouffran bolstering the attacking ranks. It’s vital, however, that Pardew manages to convince Coloccini to remain at St. James’ Park. If he can persuade him that his future lays in the north-east, the Magpies will undoubtedly possess a squad capable of securing a place in Europe next season.