Newcastle United Making Progress on Bas Dost Signing

The news today on the Bas Dost front is definitely a mixed bag. According to reports out of The Chronicle a tentative agreement has been made between Wolfsburg and Newcastle on a transfer fee in the area of 9 million pounds. Dost has also spoken with McClaren on the subject of becoming a member of the club. That is the positive news, the negative portion of the article points out that Dost may want to stay within the Bundesliga and move to Borussia Dortmund.

Let’s focus on the positive news first as Newcastle fans certainly need some. An agreement is in place to sign an actual player! After rumors of being interested in multiple players, it is great to hear Newcastle finally putting some money on the table. You get the feeling that many of the players that we are being told Newcastle have an interest in, are not receiving an actual offer or at the very least a serious offer. Whatever the tactic might be, driving down the price of another potential target, or encouraging fans with positive reports, it isn’t working. With no signings so far all these reports are simply discouraging fans. The news of an accepted offer is the first scrap of real news coming out.

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Now for the negative aspect of this article, Borussia Dortmund have entered the bidding. Now that Wolfsburg have accepted an offer from Newcastle the decision rests in the hands of Dost. What club would he want to move to more? Taking out my Newcastle fan bias I can’t help but think that Dortmund would be the better destination. If salaries are close why would Dost not want to stay in Germany?

The case for Newcastle

If Dost came to Newcastle he would be joining the Premier League, generally thought of as the best, most exciting league in the world. Despite Newcastle not having a realistic chance to win the title in the next few seasons, the world-wide exposure Dost would gain could be extremely valuable. If he was to succeed, his name would be known everywhere, that is simply not the case if he was to stay in the Germany. Yes, Germany is a great soccer country, but unless you play for Bayern Munich people outside of hardcore fans might not know you. Dortmund might be the second most popular German club, but it still does not compare to the Premier League in terms of exposure.

Newcastle has a history of producing star strikers, the most notable of those being Alan Shearer. Again, if Dost succeeds he would be a legend. He would be the focal point of the attack in a club that is trying to build a winning side.

The case for Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund has a recent record of success. Yes, there is a new manager, but the core of the club is very formidable. The star power that would be able to provide service to Dost includes Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Ilkay Gundogan. Some of these players are probably going to be moving on from the club shortly, but every one of those players has quality to spare. Scoring goals at Dortmund would simply be easier for Dost.

Dortmund would be playing in Europe next season, a factor that weighs heavily on the mind of every player. Yes, it is only the Europa League, but Newcastle don’t appear to be able to challenge for even that. Dortmund plays in the Champions League nearly every season and have a squad capable of challenging for a Champions League spot again. The club has also won championships in the past few years. They include a Bundesliga title, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League runner-up. This is a squad that has a recent reputation of success.

Newcastle fans need to take heart, as of yet no offer from Dortmund has been accepted. I would put Newcastle in the lead to sign Dost as of now. With that said, this is a club that has let prized transfer targets slip away all too often. This is another case that will test the commitment of Mike Ashley. Will he make a wage offer that Dost can’t refuse?