The Nearly Men: Five Players Who Almost Signed for Newcastle United – But Didn’t
Transfers rarely exist in black and white. There are the signings that go through, the bids that never arrive, and then there’s the grey space in between. For Newcastle United, a club whose identity has swung between sleeping giant and ambitious disruptor over the past two decades, that in-between has often been filled with intrigue.
From Sir Bobby Robson’s near-misses to post-takeover near-deals, here are five players who came close to wearing the black and white stripes but never quite made it through the doors at St James’ Park.
1. Hugo Ekitike – The French Forward Who Didn’t Believe (2022)
By now, the name is well known to Newcastle fans and not because he ever played a minute in their colours.
Ekitike’s move to Tyneside was all but done in January 2022, agreement with Reims, personal terms broadly in place, and the jet seemingly waiting on the tarmac. But the teenager’s advisors grew hesitant. Was the project too young? Would he get enough game time? Could Newcastle survive?
He stayed in France and moved to PSG that summer, a move that stagnated his development. Since then, a move to Eintracht Frankfurt has seen his career take off. Ekitike’s decision remains a rare instance where a player bet against Newcastle’s trajectory.
2. Michael Carrick – The Local Lad Who Got Away (2004)
Born in Wallsend, Michael Carrick was a Geordie through and through. After excelling at West Ham in the early 2000s, he seemed destined for a return north. Newcastle, managed then by Sir Bobby Robson, made serious overtures in 2004 after West Ham’s failed promotion push.
Carrick was keen. Talks were held. But Newcastle dithered, unsure whether to prioritise a central midfielder or defensive reinforcements. Tottenham didn’t hesitate and they secured him for £2.75 million. Two years later, he was at Manchester United winning everything. Newcastle, meanwhile, shuffled through midfield options with none of Carrick’s poise.
It’s one of the more quietly painful what-ifs for Newcastle in the Premier League era.
3. Loïc Rémy – The Transfer That Turned Political (2013 & 2014)
Loïc Rémy did wear black and white but never belonged to Newcastle. His initial loan from QPR in the 2013–14 season was a rare highlight during a turbulent time, scoring 14 goals in 26 Premier League appearances. The plan was always to make it permanent.
But as the summer of 2014 rolled around, Rémy hesitated. Liverpool were interested. Arsenal flirted. And when push came to shove, the striker refused to commit. Newcastle, under Mike Ashley, refused to chase. Chelsea, needing a squad striker, offered Champions League football and a generous wage packet. He joined them instead.
Internally, there was frustration, not just at missing out on a goalscorer, but at a wider pattern of loan success stories walking away for nothing.
4. Alexandre Lacazette – The Long Pursuit That Led Nowhere (2016–17)
Few players were scouted by Newcastle more persistently in the mid-2010s than Alexandre Lacazette. Then at Lyon, the striker was on the radar for multiple Premier League clubs. Newcastle’s chief scout Graham Carr was particularly enamoured, watching him repeatedly between 2014 and 2016.
By January 2017, Rafa Benítez pushed hard for attacking reinforcements to help secure promotion from the Championship. Lacazette was sounded out. There was interest but the fee was too high, and the player wasn’t keen on dropping to England’s second tier, even with the promise of Premier League football on the horizon.
He would move to Arsenal for £52.7 million that summer. Newcastle, meanwhile, looked elsewhere, with less success.
5. Bafétimbi Gomis – The Medical That Never Happened (2013)
Another French forward who flirted heavily with Newcastle but never made it to Tyneside, Gomis was very close to joining the club from Lyon in the summer of 2013. Joe Kinnear, then inexplicably appointed Director of Football, led the talks, which tells you most of what you need to know.
A £9 million fee was agreed, and personal terms were nearly in place. Gomis was reportedly ready to fly for a medical. But delays and mismanagement behind the scenes, including disputes over agent fees and bonuses, saw the move collapse late in the window. Gomis stayed at Lyon for another year before joining Swansea on a free.
It was emblematic of the dysfunction that plagued the club in the Ashley era: deals that should’ve been routine, botched at the final step.
Who’s Next?
If recent weeks are anything to go by, Anthony Elanga might just be the next name to join Newcastle United’s long and familiar list of “nearly men.”
Eddie Howe is understood to be a long-time admirer and Newcastle’s interest has gone well beyond monitoring, they’ve already lodged a bid worth around £45 million. But Forest rejected it outright, holding firm to a valuation closer to £60 million.
And there are now complications. Aston Villa have entered the race and sources suggest, they are prepared to meet Forest’s asking price. For Newcastle, who see Elanga as a statement signing to power the next phase of their rebuild, the deal is suddenly at risk of slipping away.
The club’s modern transfer history is dotted with players they were close to signing but didn’t. Anthony Elanga might be next: a player who ticked all the boxes, made all the right sense, and, like so many before him, never quite crossed the line.
