Gouffran predicts Toon revival

New boy Yoan Gouffran is confident Newcastle's French connection can drag them out of relegation trouble.

Last Updated: 25/01/13 at 10:35 Post Comment

Yoan Gouffran: New Newcastle signing

Yoan Gouffran: New Newcastle signing

The 26-year-old striker became the third player this month to swap Ligue 1 for the Premier League when he followed Mathieu Debuchy and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa to St James' Park.

He was joined on Thursday evening by Nancy full-back Massadio Haidara and with hopes high of concluding a deal for Toulouse midfielder Moussa Sissoko, Alan Pardew's squad has an increasingly Gallic flavour to it.

With Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa, who were part of the France squad at last summer's Euro 2012 finals, leading an already healthy contingent in the dressing room, Gouffran is confident the quality of those senior men will prove key.

He said: "Definitely. I think they will help us to make progress in the league.

"They have got a lot of experience, they have already played a lot of games and I think they will help us to move up the Premier League."

Gouffran has already played at St James' Park - he was part of the Bordeaux side which lost 3-0 on Tyneside in the Europa League earlier this season - and the experience simply whetted his appetite.

He said: "When I played here with Bordeaux, the stadium was not even full, but the atmosphere was already fantastic.

"I can only imagine that when this stadium is at full capacity with the supporters really behind us, we are going to play really well.

"That's one of the reasons why I came here - I knew we had a fantastic stadium and an absolutely fantastic set of supporters.

"First of all to settle in well, secondly to show that I'm a good enough player to be able to play and handle myself in the Premier League and to score as many goals as I can."

Twenty-year-old Haidara revealed the club's determination to land him proved all the incentive he needed to move despite the Magpies' parlous Premier League situation.

He said: "It was the desire of the club to sign me up which was the most important factor.

"It was nothing to do with the league position. It was really all about the club's desire and willingness to sign me up.

"Also, I like the club's ambition to strengthen the whole team so we can improve our league position. That's what appealed to me, so I didn't hesitate."

Meanwhile, the Magpies are continuing their efforts to talk skipper Fabricio Coloccini into remaining on Tyneside, at least until the end of the season, after he indicated that he wanted to return to Argentina because of personal problems.

His representatives failed to release him from his contract during talks earlier this week and Pardew is keeping his fingers crossed that a solution can be found.

Football365 Facebook Fan Page

The Football365 fan page is a great place to meet like minded people, have football related discussions and make new friends.

Related News

Sky Bet

    • Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds

Most Commented

Readers' Comments

I

m starting to think Roman may never actually be happy at the top level. If he wants all conquering fancy football I wonder if he'd be better off buying a lower division side then paying outlandish salaries to attract high caliber players too good for the division.

john matrix
The Most Unsatisfying European Victory...

R

afa has to be favourite for the Everton job now, surely :) He'll realise his ambition to live and work on Merseyside again, get the best out of whoever plays for them, maybe win some cups and be thoroughly loathed by the toffee fans. What's not to like? Go ead, Ken, gimajob!

captbusby
Benitez basks in final glory

T

hat is arguably the least inspiring England I have ever seen. There is not a single name in that list that makes me think I might actually want to watch this team. Not a one.

harry hotspur
Carroll back in England squad

Footer 365

Giggs: Senior stars back Moyes

Ryan Giggs says David Moyes can count on the support of Manchester United's players when he begins the task of replacing Sir Alex Ferguson.

Rodgers looks to add depth

Brendan Rodgers is confident the structure put in place over the last year will ensure Liverpool don't waste money in the transfer market.

Premier League: Nicola Cortese staying on as Southampton chairman

Nicola Cortese will remain in his role as Southampton's executive chairman after his future plans were signed off.

Mail Box

James Collins Is Only 29. Tough Paper Round

He is one of a number of solid shouts for players that look old before their time. We also have the final words on lovely D-Beck and a rejection of end of season playoffs...

Without Posh, Becks Could Have Been Scholes

That's one opinion, but others give their thanks to the man. We also have ideas for a relegation playoff, happy memories of the season and a defence of Liverpool's campaign...

© 2013 British Sky Broadcasting Ltd. All Rights Reserved