Newcastle’s Alan Pardew: Missing out on QPR’s Loic Remy was a blow

Alan Pardew believes Newcastle United are paying the price for missing out on Queens Park Rangers striker Loic Remy in the January transfer window.

The Magpies face the Hoops in a must-win clash at Loftus Road on Sunday, with Pardew’s men only three points ahead of 18th-placed Wigan Athletic, who lost to Swansea City midweek.

QPR striker Remy was close to moving to Newcastle before Hoops chairman Tony Fernandes convinced the France international to plump for west London over Tyneside.

Remy went on to net five times in 11 Premier League starts while Pardew’s side have struggled for goals, and the Newcastle boss admitted missing out on the striker was a big setback.

“The fact that we lost out on Loic Remy was a major blow to our season. We lost our main goalscorer Demba Ba to Chelsea and he was our replacement,” said Pardew.

“We felt he was going to sign for us and then at the last minute, he changed his mind, and that was a particular blow to us because it’s very difficult to get a striker in that window.

“We had to move for Moussa Sissoko, who probably we may have done at the end of the year if we had got Loic Remy, and he is not a goalscorer. He’s a midfield player-cum-number 10.

“It’s put extra pressure on us that he didn’t arrive, so for that reason, I was disappointed. But I don’t fear him on Sunday. We have to be good enough to cope with the qualities he has got, which are many.”