Newcastle United recruitment under Graham Carr: Here's every transfer since 2010 - does his record stack up? Newcastle United's recruitment is in focus today - does Graham Carr's record stand up to scrutiny?
Byline: Mark Douglas
Newcastle United's recruitment has come to a crossroads with Rafa Benitez now installed as manager and looking to overhaul club operations -- if he stays in the role.
Benitez's arrival has already prompted speculation about the future of Graham Carr - United's influential chief scout - and it's widely assumed that the Spaniard will look to plough his own furrow when it comes to recruitment next season.
"I haven't spoken to him, but I know him and I have friends that know him. I don't see any problem," Benitez said at his unveiling when asked about the chief scout's role.
"He is a football man, we will talk about football, we will talk about players, and I think we will be fine. I understand why the club is going in this direction. And I have to explain why we have to change a little bit, and I think that will be good for everyone."
But just what has Carr done since he's been at the club? Here is every signing he's made - and whether it has come off or not.
Only Newcastle United could clinch promotion to the Premier League and then release a terse 1,200-word "values" statement promising "no capital outlay" on players. It was a statement in more ways than one -- and ushered in an era where they would lean heavily on Graham Carr's contacts, an ability to drive a hard bargain and a blueprint that was cut out for them.
The first batch of players arriving at United in this period were a portent of things to come.
Dan Gosling (Everton, July 2010)
A contentious contractual clause managed to sweep Gosling away from Everton, who desperately wanted to keep him. Gosling was the first gamble of this era: Newcastle taking a chance on Gosling getting over a serious injury and becoming the David Platt-style goalscoring midfielder that talent spotters had identified in his early days at Everton.
Unfortunately, his injuries made it virtually impossible to establish himself at Newcastle. He was free and while he got a long contract, it was a relatively inexpensive failure. Now performing well at Bournemouth.
Success/Failure? Failure
Sol Campbell (free transfer)
A personal feeling is that Campbell is the reason why United stopped working with experienced players. Chris Hughton had made a big play for Campbell, feeling he could add a lot to the dressing room as well as being a major asset on their return to the Premier League.
He'd convinced the board despite warnings from Carr, who knew him from Notts County. When Campbell flopped, Hughton's fate was sealed and United have never made a signing like it since.
Success/Failure? Failure
Cheick Tiote (FC Twente, [pounds sterling]3.5million)
Along with Ben Arfa, he was the first 'proper' Carr signing. Scouted for a long time and signed for a song, Tiote took to the Premier League like a duck to water.
If the requirement of a signing at this time was that they rapidly climbed in value and added plenty to the team in the meantime, he was a rip-roaring success.
He has plateaued since -- and United maybe should have sold him when Chelsea were sniffing around -- but Tiote has fulfilled the requirement of him.
Success/Failure? Big success in the short-term
Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille, [pounds sterling]2million)
The perfect Newcastle signing of this era? Probably. United didn't have much of a budget so Carr's contacts book came in handy. United used the Simon Stainrod connection in France to persuade Ben Arfa they'd build a team around him and they got a player of huge promise for hardly anything.
Again, it wasn't a long-term success but in the short and medium-term this worked.
Success/Failure? Success
Shefki Kuqi (free transfer)
Alan Pardew needed a body after selling Andy Carroll and Kuqi was that man. Not much thought went into this one, other than that he was available.
Success/Failure? Failure
Having sold Andy Carroll, Newcastle had a limited transfer budget. They needed to be smart in this summer or the future looked bleak -- United had been on the brink of falling into the relegation battle after Hughton had been replaced by Pardew.
And this was the summer when the Magpies looked like pioneers.
Demba Ba (free transfer)
Another where United used the weapons at their disposal: selling the club as a platform and handing out a big contract with a sell-on.
A modus operandi was developing by this point and United were proving excellent at it. He was Carroll's replacement and while that didn't go down well at the time, he proved himself adept.
Success/Failure? Success
Yohan Cabaye (Lille, [pounds sterling]4.8m)
The best United signing of the last five years -- and one of the best ever. Newcastle had put in the leg work, scouting him for years before Carr used his contacts in France to ascertain there was a contract clause that could be activated.
The sell to Cabaye was the same: a big platform and an even bigger chance. He ticked every box and arguably Newcastle should have re-signed him when they had the chance.
Success/Failure? Success
Mehdi Abeid (Lens, free)
Another low-risk gamble. He clearly had talent but whether he had the determination to make it in England is open for debate...
To continue reading
Request your trial