http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/8377128/Chelsea-launch-7m-bid-for-Newcastle-striker-Demba-Ba

Will this remain a one-horse race?

Newcastle United FC ‏@NUFCOfficial
#NUFC have given Demba Ba permission to speak to Chelsea. As a result he won't be included in tonight's squad.

I think he will come most likely but if talks are broken down its probably due to his wages and I think we should get Llronte instead of Ba but I will be happy with either one of them
Huntellar,Llronte,Ba,I hope we get at least one of these,Sturridge is leaving to Liverpool then Torres form is on,off,on,off we need to get at least another experienced striker then next season hopefully Falcao,Cavani etc will come(at least one of them)then after two years Lukaku will be back and shine for us hopefully

Jeffrey, if Chelsea buy Ba just to keep a place warm for Falcao in the summer, it will be a crime against the league. This is a large part of why people become so resentful of Chelsea (in the Ambramovic era) -- the idea of taking the best players from other teams, and then not using them.

How many players have taken Roman's paycheck, and then vanished, only to be shipped out on the cheap to even smaller clubs? It's something we should be condemning, not cheering on, in my opinion. If Gerrard had gone to Chelsea, he'd have featured a few times, but ultimately become just a squad player, Liverpool would be fighting for relegation by now. Spare a thought for poor Newcastle if the same happens with Ba, just to 'do a job' until you buy Falcao.

It's not cool.

well its not my fault,ask the owner lol,as ive said before llronte would be a better option in my opinion and i heard theres a problem with ba's knees?i wont take the risk but if the club gets him or anyone else we just have to play along

Not Chelsea AGAIN!?? Fucks sake... let Arsenal have him

This is a stop-gap signing and an intelligent one if you ask me. If I would guess, Demba Ba will be offered something like a 2-year contract but with good wages. This way, he can help keep them in a CL spot this season with his obvious propensity for finding the net as Torres is struggling for consistency. Then, as J_F said, in the summer they wil buy either Falcao (if RM REALLY Want him he's going there) or Cavani and sell Torres.  At that point, Ba would be a capable back-up striker as any big club requires. Win-Win for everyone involved (even Newcastle).

Newcastle got Ba after he pulled a similar stunt at West Ham. The point is, he has been very successful for them and always gives his best on the pitch. They got him on a free and are going to recieve 7-7.5 million for him 1.5 years later.  Good business once again from Newcastle. I wouldn't feel sorry for them. It's not like he is particularly connected with the Toons anyway and like I said, he helped them in all ways possible. Last, but not least, it is a cancer in the dressing room to know that your top goalscorer doesn't want to be there. The quicker he leaves the better for team unity.

...Just like Nasri moving to Man City was a win-win for everyone, including Arsenal, Footaholic? What about Song to Barcelona? 

It's a good short-term move for Chelsea, certainly. For Ba and Newcastle? I think it's going to hurt them both, long term. 

@Lodatz, I see where you're goin with that but I must argue that they are different scenarios. Song still had many years on his contract but was being disruptive and bizarrely , contrary to all the others, Arsenal are the ones that shipped him off. As for Nasri, yes we made a profit (surprise, surpise) and he left when we needed him most to warm the bench at CitiBank. In a sense, that is a similarity but the difference again, is that he was our only CAM. We couldn't cope with losing both of our CM and so it showed in the beginning of last year. Newcastle have Cisse who simply cannot play on the wing. In this case, Cisse can get his favoured CF position again whilst Newcastle be rid of the bad blood that existed b/w him & Ba along with the constant media speculation that unfocuses the squad. In short, Nasir was not expected to leave and we had noone to replace him. That is not the case with Newcastle.

I see your point too, I just don't think that the 'bad blood' angle is as true as the newspapers make out. Up until this time last year, when Harry Redknapp dropped a 'hint' about buy-out clauses because he selfishly wanted to poach Ba himself, no-one was talking about Ba going anywhere for years. Don't get me wrong, I rate Cisse highly too, but it does seem to me that Newcastle losing Ba will put them in the shitter. Especially if it's only 7 million that they get for him.

Obviously I'm just talking from my armchair, but, it just seems a safe bet to me that in 12 months time, he'll be off to the French league on a cheap swap, if he signs for Chelsea, and Newcastle will take a couple of seasons to recover. 

Also: I didn't know that, re: Song. 

I don't think BA gives a flying f**k, to be honest. He is due a good cut of the release clause if it is triggered. Moreover, Chelsea will EASILY fatten his pocket. If he stays there for a year or two and then leaves I don't think he'd care. In fact, I'm sure that is the plan. In that respect this deal is EXACTLY what he wants and it is good for Chelsea as well. Obviously, it's not as nice for Newcastle but, big picture-wise it's not all that bad of a deal. 

Plus, he's been whoring himself publicly for quite a while which must drive a man as famously egotistical as AP up the walls. It's one thing if a player is quietly angling for a move behind the scenes but to keep telling the press "Arsenal is a dream club", "AC MIlan would be an honour to play for", and "I am a fan of PSG and I want to play for them sometime in my career" is another thing entirely.

You mean, like Sol Campbell? ;)

Scratch that. I mis-read what you were saying. This is the trouble with surfing from the phone. :p

@Lodatz: yea, the song story is a really peculiar one. Many people still think that Arsenal just sold him like everyone else but there was a bit more of a sinister backstory. The problem at Arsenal is that noone outside the immediate circle of the team and Board REALLY have any idea what is going on. When it comes to airing out dirty laundry or even the common courtesy of being tranparent to fans, they are as tight as an convicts a**hole upon entering prison.

I still feel a bit embarrased about Campbell fiasco. Older Spurs fans were also remis at losing Pat Jennings to us BUT the difference there is Spurs hierarchy were stupid enough to think he was over-the-hil  and forced him out. He admitted that he signed for Arsenal to spite them, and so he did having played 10 incredible seasons with us. I hope someone talks about him in the Spurs Profile. Probably, the only guy both Spurs AND Arsenal fans consider their legend.

He'll be in my Spurs profile, have no fear. ;)

And yeah, that was different. I can't blame Jennings for that, given he was shoved out. Sort of like how Cruyff went to Feyenoord after Ajax did the same. Both of them got their deserved 'revenge' on their previous, ungrateful employers.  But Campbell? That was more like Figo going to Madrid. He pledged us his heart, soul and future... and then snuck out the back door when no-one was looking.

We'll never forgive him. 

I know, I know. I kind of still feel terrible about that because I hate snakes. Obviously, he was fantastic for us and won a s**t ton but it never felt right to me. Alas, 'twas a long time ago and it is imprudent to overlook the future by focusing on one's past.

I think that is that was the first real intelligent conversation between two users in this forum. 

If I may add I thought the Song Saga was bogus, from what I understood Song had 3 years left but was asking for an extension to keep him there for a long time (I believe and added 5 years). When Arsenal said he would get the contract since he still has three years Barcelona came knocking and he jumped ships and got his 5 year deal. If I'm wrong please correct me but if I am correct Song just fucked all rational logic, wants a longer contract to pledge future but joins another team.