Newcastle target: Smith may be surplus at United if Tevez gets his go aheadNewcastle have made a surprise £6million offer for Manchester United striker Alan Smith. Manager Sam Allardyce had said that Smith was not among his targets, but injuries to Joey Barton and Michael Owen in what is an already threadbare squad have caused him to switch his sights to the versatile England man.Aston Villa and Middlesbrough are also in the hunt for the 26-year-old, who has 18 England caps, but it is believed the player's preferred choice is Everton if they can raise the money. Smith is keen to return to his more accustomed role as a striker but his ability to play in midfield makes him an attractive option for a stretched Newcastle.
Allardyce is also still keen to have cash left to reinforce his defence. He has inquired about Bolton's Abdoulaye Faye and is trying to strike a deal for FC Copenhagen's £4m-rated Brede Hangeland. Indeed, Allardyce made his move for Smith at the weekend just days after being rebuffed in a £3m bid for United defender Mikael Silvestre.
The Newcastle manager admitted after his side's latest preseason success that it would be a disaster if he is not able to strengthen one of the Premiership's most fragile squads. The difficulty is that his fight to loosen the St James' Park pursestrings held by new chairman Chris Mort continues to be undermined by the form of the club's misfits, youngsters and trialists, who beat Juventus 2-0 yesterday.
Allardyce, who used goalkeeper Steve Harper as a striker against Celtic last week, is upset at the amount he has been told he can invest in his squad this summer. His purchase of David Rozenhal, Barton, Mark Viduka and Geremi has cost just £1.7million net following the sale of Scott Parker.
Yet while the likes of Fulham, Portsmouth and West Ham are spending big, Newcastle could have as little as £10m to shell out on a squad who limped to 13th place in the Premiership last season. The former Bolton manager said: "Pre-season results give people false hope. I wouldn't like to start the season with the players we finished the game with, because that would be a disaster for us.
"When the pressure arrives, inexperienced players fail. We need experience. We need to get the players fit as quickly as we can and then get the experience in the market. Time is running out. A heavy loss to Celtic or Juventus would have been a reminder to owner Mike Ashley and Mort that they are down to the bare bones, and that this is the time to spend heavily. Instead, a team littered with youngsters again exceeded expectations.
On Thursday, Albert Luque was the game's most significant force, and few thought they would say that about the Spaniard, who has started just six Premiership games in his two years at St James' Park. Yesterday, he again showed plenty of spirit, insisting he took the penalty earned by Milner in the ninth minute. Luque, who scored twice against Celtic, then limped off with a groin injury which is not rated too serious. His replacement, gangling Andy Carroll, 18, steered a rebound from Obafemi Martins home in the 36th minute.
Three minutes later, he was almost knocked out by Gianluigi Buffon after chasing a through-ball from Nolberto Solano — 'common assault', according to Allardyce. By the finish, Newcastle's side included academy seven players and Charlie Barnett, a trialist midfielder released by Liverpool. Yet still they beat Juventus. Allardyce does not know whether to laugh or cry. Owen, meanwhile, should be fit to face Hull on Wednesday after being sidelined with a thigh injury.
