Alan Pardew says the transfer process was wrong at Newcastle

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Alan Pardew has seen transfers dealt with in a different way at Crystal Palace compared to at Newcastle United.

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has told The Premier League Show (broadcast on 19 October, BBC 2) that Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley dealt with transfers the wrong way during his time managing the Magpies.

Recruitment was always a big problem for Newcastle during Pardew’s tenure, with various foreign exports arriving at the club for small fees, with the manager tasked with bedding these players into a team despite not wanting them in the first place.

“The difference at Newcastle was the financial element came first then the technical side of it was ‘okay well that should fit’,” Pardew told The Premier League Show.

“Whereas here the luxury I have is that the technical aspect, how it fits, comes first.

“I like to think that they’ve [Newcastle] learned some lessons. I kept nagging him [Mike Ashley], kept telling him ‘I think the process is wrong’.”

At Palace, Pardew has the luxury of selecting the players he wants to bring the club; a luxury he was not afforded during his time on Tyneside, despite questioning the way the club went about things while he was in charge.

Since the 55-year-old left the club, Newcastle have been relegated to the Championship, but they have seen a complete makeover in how decisions are made with current boss Rafael Benitez now having final say on all matters.

Newcastle have accepted that they made mistakes, but it took a manager of Benitez’s calibre and stature to demand a change. Had there not been a change, there is no way players such as Ciaran Clark and Daryl Murphy would have joined the club, and there is no chance that the Spanish manager would be spearheading their mission to return to the Premier League.

While Pardew has had his say on his frustration at the recruitment at Newcastle, it has not stopped him bringing former Toon players like Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy to Selhurst Park, as well as being linked with a host of former and current Newcastle players.