Signing Confirmed: CHRISTIAN ATSU

He may only be converting a loan move into one that is permanent but the signing of Christian Atsu signifies an early intent from Newcastle United and boss Rafa Benitez.

At just £6.2m for a player that the Newcastle chief now knows inside out the fee seems pretty reasonable and a player who will certainly add depth to the squad in the coming season.

Atsu made 16 starts for the Mags last term with a further 19 appearances made from the bench. He managed 5 goals from those starts including a sublime free kick in the penultimate game of the season in the 2-0 win against Cardiff.

The player tweeted his delight at making his move permanent and has signed a 4 year deal at St James Park after NUFC took up the option of a permanent deal that was set out in the terms of his loan move last summer.

What’s more the success of his spell at the club last term and his confirmed transfer may just help Newcastle should they decide to go back to Chelsea for more loanees this summer, something that most certainly could happen with a number of players linked.

Both fans and officials at Newcastle will also hope that this is the start of getting our business done early this summer, with reports that Rafa wants all his new recruits in before training starts in July.

Whilst not a signing that will hit the headlines this one has to be seen as a good solid start to the window.