Stoke pulled out of a deal for the Senegal international, then a Hoffenheim player, in January 2011 after he failed a medical at the Britannia Stadium. Instead, Ba went on to sign for West Ham United.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew wants his big name players to start producing the goods, and Ba is a player who needs to step up to the plate, because he went hiding at St Mary's on Sunday.
Alan Pardew:“I think Demba’s a big character in the team.
“He probably didn’t have his best game on Sunday at Southampton.
“I think he’s determined to put in a good performance. A lot rides on him and Papiss producing the goods for us.
“Regardless of the service, they need to find a way to score goals. We need to help them, and they need to help us.
“We need our big players to come forward.
“Their ego has been bashed a bit in the press and in the media. The best players respond to it.
“Some of our top players need a performance. We can’t use our younger players, and expect them to do it every time.
“We are expecting a bit much from (Shane) Ferguson and Sammy (Ameobi).
“I’m probably asking too much from them to come in and play big roles for us.”