JOSE Enrique insisted he is ready to be thrown straight into Premier League action against Bolton this weekend as he became Sam Allardyce’s seventh signing as Newcastle manager last night. United have taken their summer spending to more than £20m with the £6.3m capture of the Spanish Under-21 international from Villarreal – and it is unlikely Allardyce has finished his squad rebuilding with another three weeks to go until the close of the transfer window. Despite denying an interest in Serbian centre-back Ivica Dragutinovic last week, Allardyce continues to be linked with a move for the Sevilla defender and the 31-year-old could still become the eighth new player to arrive at St James’s Park this summer. But it is the capture of Enrique – a move revealed in The Journal on Saturday morning – which has surprised many observers as the 21-year-old is largely an unknown quantity in England. Indeed, Allardyce admitted yesterday that he will have to ease the talented youngster into English football, even though the left-back has insisted he is ready to face his new manager’s former club Bolton in the first game of the season on Saturday. “I am ready to go and if Sam wants to play me this weekend I am ready,” said the Valencia-born prospect, who has been tipped to become a senior Spanish international by many La Liga pundits. “English football is fast and physical, especially for defenders. Strikers like to get stuck in, but that isn’t a problem for me. It has all happened very quickly. It is a great challenge to play in the Premiership, but I am under no illusions that it will be easy. I know just what an historic club Newcastle is and I am excited by the plans the directors and board have for the club.” Given the problems United have had with Spanish acquisitions in the past, Allardyce is sensible to gradually introduce his most expensive summer signing to the Premier League, which means Charles N’Zogbia could be asked to play at left-back on Saturday. Brazilian centre-back Claudio Caçapa – who is behind his colleagues in fitness after not having a full pre-season – is also likely to only make the bench, with Steven Taylor and David Rozehnal set to start at centre-back against a Bolton side which will provide one of the sternest physical tests of the season for United’s new-look side.. Allardyce said: “Jose has hopefully got a very good future in front of him, but we will feed him in slowly. You won’t see him at Bolton, or at least I hope you won’t, because I would not want to do that. I’d like to use the players who have done so well in pre-season for the first few games, with the new ones coming in after that. It does not matter about Alan Smith because he knows what the Premiership is all about and he’s okay. Mark Viduka knows all about the Premiership as well and what it takes to be successful. But we will ease in Claudio Caçapa and Jose when they have got the feel of it.” However, it is the presence of one of United’s most controversial signings, Albert Luque – who has struggled to find his feet in England, despite costing £10m from Deportivo La Coruña two years ago – which Enrique believes can help him adapt quickly to the unique demands of the Premier League. He added: “To have Albert Luque in the squad is great for me. To have another Spaniard there as I start out in Newcastle can only help me. Albert says he is going to take care of me at Newcastle. I don’t know Sam Allardyce directly but I am told he has great faith in young players and that is great. It is very positive news. I met him for dinner and I was very happy to hear his plans for Newcastle. “He treated me very well and he understands me. He knows I have to get used to a lot of new things, like changes in culture and language, but he says he’s going to help me adapt to that. He says he is going to have patience with me.” Newcastle chairman Chris Mort insisted in an interview with The Journal last week that he would provide the financial backing his manager needed to bring in new players before the start of the season, a statement which preceded the arrival of three signings in three days in Smith, Caçapa and Enrique. The Magpies’ total outlay on new players is now £21m, which does not include the signing-on fees paid to Viduka, Geremi and Caçapa, who were free agents. However, Allardyce did raise £7m from the sale of former captain Scott Parker and will still hope to offload Kieron Dyer for at least £6m before the close of the transfer window. Dyer was back on Tyneside yesterday, but he is highly unlikely to figure at the Reebok Stadium at the weekend. His future remains uncertain, with the Magpies hoping West Ham revive their interest in the England international after pulling out of the deal on Friday night when Newcastle increased their asking price from £6 to £8m. | 
Article
