Toon Army - Marching On

"Super Mario" gets his Premier League wish

Newcastle have confirmed that Colombian World Cup star Mario Yepes has passed a medical at St James' Park, and will join the rest of the squad at Darsley Park tomorrow morning for training.

Yepes, who was released from Serie A side Atlanta at the end of last season was one of Colombia's key players in their run to the World Cup Quarter Finals. It is widely thought that the Colombia captain will now retire from international football.

Despite his age, the 38-year-old played every minute of Colombia's games, and never looked like making a game changing mistake. He almost kept his side in the tournament, but for an offside flag to rule out his goal.

His previous clubs include A.C. Milan, River Plate and Paris Saint-Germain, but in the past few days, the defender, nicknamed 'Super Mario', made it clear that he wanted to finish his career in the United Kingdom, alerting a couple of clubs, his agent telling Sky Sports:

"I am already talking to several clubs who have shown an interest in Mario. Mario is keen to finish his career in the UK and with his experience and undoubted talent he would be a valuable addition for anyone."

Manager Alan Pardew clearly shares Gino Cullbertson's thoughts, as he acted quickly to secure the signature of the 38-year-old, who becomes the seventh arrival in Tyneside. The club have already announced deals for Ayoze Pérez, Jack Colback, Siem De Jong (who was on loan at the club last season), Remy Cabella, Emmanuel Rivière and Daryl Janmaat, who replaces the outgoing Mathieu Debuchy, who signed for Arsenal earlier this month.

Yep(es), it's gonna be a thrilling story!

Golden Oldie good luck mate!

Nice start, Yepes is a good signing. Good luck!

Great start :-)! I look forward to seeing how this story unfolds!

Nice start Adam. Solid signing to start with, I am sure his experience can bring something different to your back line :-) Can't wait for more!

Newcastle announce signing of Argentine star

Newcastle United have reached an agreement to bring 32-year-old midfielder Esteban Cambiasso to the club, after he was released from Inter Milan last month after a ten year spell with the Serie A club.

Prior to joining Inter, the Argentine had played for Spanish giants Real Madrid, and has been capped 52 times by his national team. He joined Inter on a free transfer at the end of his stay in Spain, and impressed in the defensive midfield role.

A widely known player in the world of football, Cambiasso told the BBC that it had always been an ambition of his to play in the Barclays Premier League.

"I've played in Spain, I've played in Italy - I always wanted to play in another major European league, and I'm glad that Alan Pardew has offered me the chance to do so here at Newcastle United."

He will battle for a place in the first team squad alongside Vurnon Anita, told an optimistic Alan Pardew.

"I'm delighted that we've been able to attract a player of Esteban's reputation and class. Obviously he isn't the youngest of players, but he's got a good fitness level in my eyes, and we've got players like Vurnon Anita who can rotate with him when he needs a break."

Some great signings, experience is what Newcastle need!

I agree with Tal! It's always nice to have some experience on board, and certainly in the form of Yepes and Cambiasso!

Pair of wingers depart St James' Park

Gabriel Obertan and Jonás Gutiérrez have both left Newcastle after Alan Pardew accepted bids from Hull City and AS Monaco respectively.

The two wingers had fallen out of favour with the manager, and Gutiérrez spent the second half of last season out on loan at Norwich City, who were eventually relegated from the Barclays Premier League. The Argentine winger only made four league appearances, however.

Just four years ago, global superstar Lionel Messi described Gutiérrez as one of the finest players in the Premier League. He has been in and out of the team for some time now, but Pardew felt that the time was right for the 31-year-old to leave the club, and it is likely that he will finish his career in France with oil rich AS Monaco, who paid Newcastle £2.2 million for his services.

"We had loan offers from a few clubs, mostly Premier League, but it would be unfair on Jonás to ship him out on loan again. He leaves with fond memories of his time at the club, and he has been a great servant to us ever since he joined from Mallorca. He deserves to be playing regularly, and we needed to cash in. Whether Monaco give him that playing time or not isn't clear yet, but I hope that he'll be happy in France in the next, and probably last chapter of his career."

---

---

Meanwhile Gabriel Obertan will still be playing in the Premier League this season, after the 25-year-old accepted a contract offer from Hull City, who will be playing in the UEFA Europa League next season after finishing as runners-up in the F.A. Cup. He joined from Manchester United in 2011 for a fee believed to be around £3 million, but never really made an impact on the pitch, and became frozen out of the team. He will join Hull for a fee of £3.4 million.

It is unlikely that Newcastle will target another winger to replace the two departures.

A good choice to let these two go in my opinion, they didn't really have the quality to play for Newcastle.

Schneiderlin joins Newcastle United as Pardew splashes cash - Anita heads to St Mary's

Frenchman Schneiderlin was unveiled at Darsley Park this morning after completing his move from league rivals Southampton

Midfielder, 24, becomes ninth Newcastle signing of the window, and Saints sixth sale, having previously sold Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and James Ward-Prowse to Liverpool, and Luke Shaw to Manchester United

Dutch midfielder Vurnon Anita heads the other way, with Newcastle also paying Southampton a fee

Morgan Schneiderln was unveiled in front of the media this morning, after completing a £10 million move from Southampton. The 24-year-old midfielder from France was widely expected to join former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino at White Hart Lane following his departure, but the new Tottenham Hotspur manager was unable to agree a fee with the Southampton management.

Schneiderlin is a defensive minded midfielder, and Alan Pardew intends to use him in the central midfield role.

"We're thrilled to welcome Morgan to the club - I think of him a lot like Yohan Cabaye, who was obviously a key player for us during his time here. Morgan is a natural in the centre of the park, so that's where he will play, but if Esteban Cambiasso, who joined earlier this week should ever get injured, then we've got depth in the defensive midfield position too, in Morgan."

Schneiderlin featured in France's 0-0 draw with Ecuador at the 2014 FIFA World Cup - his side was knocked out at the Quarter Final stage by Germany.

Heading the other way, as well as the £10 million, will be Dutchman Vurnon Anita, who will take Schneiderlin's place in the Southampton squad. Anita had been a vital part of Newcastle's side since joining from Ajax for £6.7 million in 2012.

Alan Pardew has announced the signing of Ron Vlaar from Aston Villa, and has stated that the Dutch centre back will be the final signing of the transfer window from Newcastle.

The 29-year-old starred for Holland in the FIFA World Cup earlier this summer as his team finished in third place. Vlaar played in all seven of Holland's games, and received plaudits for his defensive capabilities. Many teams were linked with a move for the defender, including former Holland manager Louis Van Gaal's new side Manchester United, Southampton, who are looking for a replacement for Dejan Lovren who left for Liverpool, and Italian sides Roma and Lazio.

Despite strong performances at the heart of the defence, Vlaar stepped up to take a crucial penalty in the Semi Final against Argentina during the penalty shootout and missed. Penalty taking isn't the job of a centre back, however, and his performance throughout the match deserved credit.

Alan Pardew's Newcastle United make their 'final' signing of the window, bringing Vlaar to the club from Aston Villa for £6 million - the Dutchman becomes the 10th signing of the window, but Pardew is adamant that Vlaar will be the last signing that is made by the club.

"Ron Vlaar is a great capture for this club, but we won't be bringing anyone else to the club until January at the earliest. I'm delighted with the players that I've been able to bring in to the club this summer, and am confident ahead of the new season."

Some quality business so far Adam. I think you were right to sell Gutierrez and Obertan, the money wasn't too bad either. Some solid signings in Vlaar and Schneiderlin!