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Europe

Under-fire Kinnear pleads for patience over signings

By AFP
Published | Updated
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Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear watches before their Premier League football match against Manchester City at the City Of Manchester Stadium in Manchester on January 28, 2009. Kinnear insisted he will eventually deliver the signings required to lift the mood at the troubled Premier League club. (AFP/File)

LONDON (AFP) – Newcastle director of football Joe Kinnear on Sunday insisted he will eventually deliver the signings required to lift the mood at the troubled Premier League club.

With the start of the Premier League season less than two weeks away, Newcastle are the only top-flight team yet to bring in at least one senior player since the end of last term.

That failure in the transfer market has placed Kinnear under even more scrutiny following the former Wimbledon manager's controversial arrival at St James' Park.

Kinnear, whose only signing is teenager Olivier Kemen from French side Metz, is at the forefront of player acquisition following his appointment by owner Mike Ashley in June.

It has been suggested that Magpies boss Alan Pardew is frustrated with Kinnear's role as it threatens to diminish his own imput into signings, but the club's director of football remains convinced he will secure the new faces demanded by both the manager and impatient fans.

"I'm well aware that everyone is concerned (about the lack of transfers) and rightly so, but I'm not dragging my heels in any manner," Kinnear told Sky Sports News.

"I'm being sensible about the budget I have got and am going to spend it as wisely as I can - I keep (manager) Alan (Pardew) well informed and have regular meetings.

"We sit down on a regular basis and talk about the type of players we want, the best type of players for the Newcastle fans."

Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis is believed to be close to a move to St James' Park but a deal is yet to be announced and Kinnear admits it is becoming difficult to land transfer targets.

"We are fighting hard," he added. "There are two or three of us (clubs) all seemingly wrapped around the same players and, as I have said to Mike, it is a serious battle that we need to win and we are very close to achieving that.

"There are always extra add-ons, always an extra thing and always an extra problem and then there is always the problem of competition from other teams.

"Whatever I have offered more or less goes public and of course that alerts other people that are interested, they tweak it and add a little bit more and we are in that sort of war at the moment.