LD Connected With Loan to Toons

According to nufc.co.uk, renowned LA Galaxy and US international player Landon Donovan has been connected to Newcastle for a possible loan during the MLS off-season. New manager Alan Pardew reportedly said that Donovan was offered to the Tyneside club and that he's "keen" on acquiring the forward during the transfer window in January.

This would be HUGE for Newcastle. They've been producing lots of great results in their first season back in the Premier League, but they've also been a little less than consistant in those results. I think you can trace that all the way back to the Man City game in early October when Nigel de Jong committed a horrendous tackle and broke Hatem Ben Arfa's leg, an injury he has yet to recover from. The Ben Arfa loan was one of the biggest transfer moves in the EPL all summer, simply because he is easily one of France's best players and he went to the a struggling club who just returned to the top league. The club had high hopes that this very skilled winger could help the Toons stay out of relegation trouble this season, but his English career never really solidified before his injury. Newcastle has been putting up some great scorelines without Ben Arfa, but I don't think anyone can deny the winger's ability and how much the team could've used his talents.

LD could fill that spot that was left vacant by Ben Arfa. Yes, Joey Barton has been performing absolutely fantastic this season (so much so that Pardew considers him "one of three best players in the league this season") but his suspension troubles have kept his form a little less than 100%. Number 9 Andy Carroll and captain Kevin Nolan have been lighting up the back of the net for the most part and it's my personal belief that a formation change to allow two strikers will help in matches where Newcastle has to come from behind. Former manager Chris Hughton really liked putting in Peter Løvenkrands or Nile Ranger in the 60' to try and help the Toon frontline put another goal in, but I believe these two fellows just aren't enough. Don't get me wrong, Ranger is one of my favorite Toon players. He has fantastic ability. I almost wish he could be a part of the Starting XI so he could get more playing time and more experience. This is where LD could come in. I really don't know if Donovan would be immediately part of the Starting XI, but I think this move could really give the Magpies a serious boost in the table, possibly help new manager Pardew to get to where he wants his new club to be, and give Donovan some great experience in the EPL (he has previously been loaned out to Everton). I think Newcastle and Donovan go together and would love to see Donovan don the black-and-white stripes in January.