Newcastle snap up Gosling on a free as Everton left seething

DAN GOSLING has completed his move to Newcastle United from Everton but will not be able to make his debut for several months because he is recovering from a serious knee injury.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who underwent anterior cruciate ligament surgery in March which was then expected to keep him out until December, signed a four-year contract on Tyneside after arriving on a free transfer which has caused considerable consternation at Goodison Park.

Everton were infuriated by Gosling’s exploitation of a legal loophole which enabled a player who cost them €2.36m when he joined from Plymouth Argyle in January 2008 to depart for nothing.

Chris Hughton, though, was thrilled to have recruited precisely the type of player Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s owner, is seeking – young, energetic and with real potential for future resale.

“We are delighted to have signed Dan,” Newcastle’s manager said. “He’s the right age and profile so he’s an appealing capture for us. He’s young but he has Premier League experience and he’s someone who can continue to develop his game. We see him as a high-energy box-to-box player. He won’t be fazed by anything that’s in front of him.”

“It’s a brilliant move,” said Gosling. “I can’t wait to get started. I’ve played at St James’s Park and I know all about the amazing atmosphere. It will be a great day when I finally get to run out in front of 50,000 people.”

In early May Gosling said of Everton: “There’s no other club I’d rather be at.”

Indeed Everton feel badly let down by a player whose salary they intended to double despite his almost certainly being sidelined for most of the remainder of 2010.

Gosling had been recruited by David Moyes on a three-year deal with an agreement to extend it on improved terms this summer. Last spring Everton duly offered him a two-year extension which would have lifted his weekly wage from €9500 to around €19,000 but Goodison Park officials failed to put this revised offer in writing by the mid-May deadline, thereby permitting Gosling to leave on a free.

His relocation to Newcastle was agreed two weeks ago but was not finalised while Everton debated appealing to the Premier League for compensation after losing him on what they regard as a harsh technicality which enabled Gosling to negotiate a lucrative signing-on fee at St James’ Park.

The move has also not gone down well at Plymouth, who would have been entitled to a percentage of any sum Everton made from a future sale. Gosling, who can play at right-back as well as in midfield, made 22 Premier League appearances for Everton, 13 as a substitute, scoring four goals.