Pardew to closely monitor the African Cup of Nations

Newcastle United are going to focus scouting efforts on the African Cup of Nations when the tournament kicks off on 21 January.

Alan Pardew is about to have his fingers burnt by the International tournament as he loses (arguably) his two most influential players for up to a month as a result of their participation in the African Cup of Nations.

Despite having to acclimatise to football without Cheikh Tiote and Demba Ba for the short-term, Pardew holds no concerns about scouting the continent for its best talents, even if that means that next year he will have additional selection headaches to contend with.

This attitude is in stark contrast to that of Sir Alex Ferguson who actively avoids signing players who may be unavailable for selection as a result of the tournament.

Some fans also had concerns about how Newcastle’s two star men would be treated upon their arrival in Africa. It was suggested that coaching and rehabilitation standards are not as high within the federations as they are in the Premier League but again Pardew has no overriding concerns.

Whilst conceding that he is worried about potential fatigue to both players, he said ‘it’s a bit more professional and well run organisation than it used to be. The federations look after the players better’.

Posted by DanB on January 17, 2012. Filed under FA Barclays Premiership, Newcastle United. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.