Newcastle sign Georginio Wijnaldum
Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:41 pm
The 24-year-old moves to St. James' Park on a five-year deal to become the Magpies' first signing under new head coach Steve McClaren.
The deal for Wijnaldum represents the third highest transfer fee in the Club's history, after Michael Owen and Alan Shearer.
"I'm delighted to be a Newcastle United player," said Wijnaldum.
"I felt the time was right for me to move and the Club have shown they really want me, so I'm very happy to be here.
"There's a few players here who are from Holland - I know them well and they will help me feel at home in Newcastle.
"I know the Club has a great stadium with great fans. I want to play here as soon as possible - I want to feel the atmosphere and hear the crowd. I cannot wait to get started."
Steve McClaren added: "This signing is a real statement for the Club. It is a big transfer for a very good player and I am delighted to have Gini here at the Club.
"He has lots of energy and a great tempo to his game. He is very skillful but is also capable of playing box-to-box, and - importantly - he can score goals.
"He is at the right age and the right fit for Newcastle. He is a leader as well and you will see that. He is someone who always wants the ball, can deal with it, and we need that kind of character in the team."
Born in Rotterdam, Wijnaldum began his career with local side Sparta Rotterdam, remaining with them for seven seasons before joining neighbouring Feyenoord.
Wijnaldum made his first team debut for Feyenoord aged just 16, earning a man of the match award in what would be the first of 134 appearances in five seasons at De Kuip.
Shortly after being called into the Dutch senior squad for the first time in 2011, the midfielder made the switch to Eredivisie rivals PSV, where he would register 56 goals in 152 appearances before arriving on Tyneside.
As captain of PSV, Wijnaldum led the club to the Eredivisie title last season and was crowned Dutch Footballer of the Year 2014/15.
With 19 caps for the Netherlands, Wijnaldum becomes the fifth Dutch international in Steve McClaren's squad alongside Tim Krul, Daryl Janmaat, Vurnon Anita and Siem de Jong.
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Twenty-four-year-old Wijnaldum has put pen to paper on a five-year deal at St. James' Park, and arrives from PSV Eindhoven where, as captain, he led them to the Eredivisie title last season.
McClaren was delighted to secure his first signing as the Magpies head coach and told nufc.co.uk: "This is a statement of intent from the Club.
"It is a big transfer for a very good player and I am delighted to have Gini here at the Club.
"He is a very good player and someone I know very well from my time in Holland with FC Twente. He was at Feyenoord to begin with and then at PSV, so has played for two of the top teams in Holland.
"Gini has developed into a player who is a regular for his country, he played at the World Cup last summer and has become a very good, all-round midfielder.
"He has lots of energy and a great tempo to his game. He is very skilful but is also capable of playing box-to-box, and - importantly - he can score goals.
"Gini has developed his game into being an all-rounder. When he started his career he was a number ten and now he plays much more box-to-box - he is what is known as a double-six.
"For the national team he is a little more defensive, so I would describe him as an all-round player who has the energy and ability to get up and down the pitch, creating and scoring goals."
While ability is obviously crucial when it comes to Wijnaldum plying his trade in the Premier League, so is attitude.
And McClaren believes the Dutch star has that in abundance.
"Gini comes from a good background, came through the Feyenoord Academy, which produces a lot of good players," continued the boss.
"He has had a good education, good grounding and knows the game well.
"He is very experienced for a 24-year-old, having won the Dutch league, played in the World Cup and become a regular for the national team. He is at the right age and the right fit for Newcastle.
"He is a leader as well and you will see that. He is someone who always wants the ball, can deal with it, and we need that kind of character in the team.
"It's obviously a relief to get the first signing in but it was all about making sure we get the right players and I believe Gini is the right one for us."
Spoiler
This is definitely now big enough for it's own thread now.
Today, there have been claims and counter-claims, saying we're about to sign him, we've just opened talks, and that he's not interested. Who do you believe?
Personally I think we'll sign him. I'm going for page 13
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Today, there have been claims and counter-claims, saying we're about to sign him, we've just opened talks, and that he's not interested. Who do you believe?
Personally I think we'll sign him. I'm going for page 13
[tweet][/tweet]
[tweet][/tweet]
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[tweet][/tweet]
