Author Topic: Luque completes Newcastle switch (Read 166 times)

Mac 10 † · « **on:** August 26, 2005, 08:47:21 AM »

Luque completes Newcastle switch

Newcastle have signed Deportivo La Coruna striker Albert Luque for £9.5m after he passed a medical on Friday.

The 27-year-old, who has agreed a five-year deal, could make his debut on Sunday against Manchester United if international clearance comes through.

He told the club's website: "I'm very happy. I am looking forward to playing with Alan Shearer

"I'm excited. It's a great place to play. I'm looking forward to playing in front of the Newcastle fans."

Magpies boss Graeme Souness earlier said: "He is here having a medical and we are trying to push it through to make him available for Sunday's game."

Newcastle have failed to score in their opening three games of the Premiership season but Souness believes Luque can solve the problem.

"He will bring a number of goals and he will bring us a bit of width if we choose to play him on the left side," Souness added.

"He is naturally left-footed and he is a wonderful striker of the ball. He will give us the little bit of class we have been missing in that area."

Newcastle looked to have missed out on the player earlier in the week after a "final" offer was rejected.

But Deportivo president Augusto Cesar Lendoiro said: "The financial conditions are very different to those that had originally been offered."

The Spain international grew up in Barcelona and was taken on by his home-town club as a youngster, before then-coach Louis van Gaal rejected him as a 19-year-old.

He joined Mallorca, but after a handful of games they loaned him to Malaga, where a better showing in 1999-2000 persuaded Mallorca to take him back.

The following season Luque scored nine goals as Mallorca finished third, giving them a place in the Champions League qualifiers for the first time ever. It was his extra-time goal against Hajduk Split in the 2001 qualifier that put Mallorca into the group stages.

The following season 14 La Liga goals earned him a place in Spain's squad for the 2002 World Cup - where he made two substitute's appearances.

At the start of 2002-2003 Depor decided he was worth splashing out £10m on, but he spent his first season there mainly on the bench.

The following campaign, however, playing mainly on the left-wing, he scored the goals which put Depor in the Champions League and also earned him a spot in Spain's Euro 2004 party.

Despite signing Luque, Newcastle are still in the £17m chase for Real Madrid's England striker Michael Owen.

Owen has expressed a preference to re-join Liverpool, and the European champions have now made a first move towards possibly signing him.