The news that Jean-Alain Boumsong is set for a move back to France with Marseille has been welcomed by Toon fans.
Boumsong has never really settled on Tyneside, having struggled to justify the £8million fee former boss Graeme Souness paid Rangers in January 2005. Regardless what Souness said before his sacking, the Newcastle fans DID give the player time to prove his worth, but you could count on the fingers of one hand the good games the Frenchman had in a black and white shirt.
But the centre-back, an unused substitute in France's World Cup final defeat to Italy, is still highly-rated in his homeland.
But, once again Glenn Roeder's hands are tied, as Marseille insist they want a season-long loan deal for Boumsong with a view to a permanent move next year. Obviously no good to Roeder, who would prefer a straight cash sale thought to be a cut-price £3million.
Marseille general manager Pape Diouf: "Jean-Alain Boumsong is an experienced player who is part of the French team and who has shown all of his defensive efficiency in Ligue 1.
"His transfer is complex on a financial level, as with every player who is in England, but we will go on with this case."