Sib to depart, Sid never to arrive

A few days after Steven Taylor told the club he didn't want to be "messed about" over a new contract comes the news that another player has been busy making his demands known, albeit through his agent. Out-of-contract midfielder-cum-striker Antoine Sibierski has rejected the club's offer of a one year deal and is holding out for two years.

Having been met with a distinctly underwhelmed response by most fans, myself included, Sibierski was undoubtedly one of our best players last season, proving himself to be possibly the best free transfer signing of the summer and scoring some vital goals in the process. However, with Glenn Roeder - the man he credited with resurrecting his career and showing some faith in his abilities - having left St James', it looks unlikely that he'll be with us come the start of the new campaign. That said, Big Sam does have a reputation for getting the very best out of apparently over-the-hill players - just look at Gary Speed...

At the same time that the Frenchman's Toon future looks less and less certain, another player's isn't even going to get underway, it having been confirmed that Reading's star midfielder Steven Sidwell has plumped for a place on the bench at Stamford Bridge next season (bitter, moi?). Not so long ago it looked like it was a done deal in our favour, but now we can only speculate as to whether Roeder's departure really did cause him to reconsider.