Is it too late to be playing transfer games?

Too late for playing games? So once again Newcastle go after a player only for a deal between ourselves and the current club of a player to seem beyond reach.

This time it's Bafetimbi Gomis that we're unable to strike a deal for according to widespread reports in the press.

Am I concerned? Yes and no. One one hand we've seen this before with other players who we've been interested in. We won't be bullied into paying more, things go quiet and we end up with the player in question at some point in the future, so in that sense I'm almost convinced this is just all part of the game between Newcastle and Lyon and wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the last we heard about Gomis this summer.

On the other hand, as commendable as our stance on transfers is from time to time, the fact remains that time is running out in the transfer market and whilst there is still a month to go until the window 'slams' (it always slams, never closes gently or anything like that!) shut the season draws ever closer and we're losing a chance to get any new players bedded in before the big kick-off in just under three weeks time.

The difference in sums we're talking about is probably in the region of a couple of million quid, which is a lot to you and me but it's peanuts in terms of Premier League football. Is it not worth perhaps just saying, due to sheer desperation, that we should take a hit on this one and stop relatively splitting hairs over a transfer fee?

I'm sure a few more bob won't push us over the precipice and into financial ruin. Say what you like about Ashley but he wouldn't let that happen which is some comfort at least. Sometimes though you can't have everything your own way and you need take a bit of a punt, which is something Newcastle seemingly don't like doing when it comes to transfers.

Going back to what I said at the start, I'm almost certain that this won't be the last we hear of Gomis in this transfer window and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if we saw him added to the squad before the end of the transfer window, but I just feel that United are leaing it late in the day to be playing these kind of transfer games.

Anyone agree?