Les Ferdinand is confident Newcastle United will be able to attract superstar signings after the takeover and has described the astonishing reality of living in the ‘goldfish bowl’. Ferdinand was a member of the famous ‘Entertainers’ side who came close to lifting the Premier League title in the 1995/96 season. The former number nine does not agree with the view that Newcastle will struggle to attract top players to the region. The argument over convincing signings to move to the North East ahead of London clubs is a familiar one, and one most recently brought forward by pundits Alan McInally and Trevor Sinclair. McInally questioned whether Joe Willock would want to live in Newcastle ahead of his permanent deal in the summer, while Sinclair insists the capital is an ‘international mega city’ which Tyneside can not compete with. Ferdinand has dismissed this viewpoint, but has warned future signings of the reception and attention they will receive as a Newcastle United player.
Les Ferdinand said “Before I went up, [Kevin] Keegan said, ‘Living in London, you can get lost as there are so many famous faces and people aren’t bothered. Everybody is bothered about Newcastle United here’. He asked what hobbies I’d like to do. I said I’d like to learn to cook, play saxophone and ride a motorbike. I said I’d go to night school and he replied, ‘You don’t understand. You can’t go to night school, all these things will have to be done privately’. When I got there I understood what he meant. I learned how to ride a bike with Warren Barton. He had bought open-faced helmets and we were riding down this road and stopped at the lights outside a pub. All of a sudden a load of Newcastle fans ran out and start shouting, ‘Oi, Ferdinand, get off that bike — you better not get injured!’ There was no getting away from it. You are in a goldfish bowl — but when it’s going well it’s a great goldfish bowl.”
