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Magpies chief drops transfer admission
Newcastle United, 10:07, November 26, 2008 ,
Joe Kinnear has admitted his hopes of taking John Arne Riise to Newcastle in January have been hit by his recall to the Roma side.
The Magpies interim boss, who has also confirmed that striker Mark Viduka could be on the substitutes' bench on Saturday, is on the lookout for new faces to sign in January but feels his chances of snapping up Norway international, Riise, are now slipping away.
"John's name came up specifically because he's not been in their team and he's a good player. We made contact with their club and asked 'Is there any chance of a loan?' and that's as far as it's got at the moment," Kinnear told the Journal.
"And what happened after I'd made the call? He's back in the team and playing well, which changes things. When you make the call you're always aware that things can change.
"We've made one or two other enquiries. I don't want to go into names because it alerts other people but we want ready-made players who can improve us. Of course, it all depends on whether I'm still here in January but I like to think I'm a manager who is comfortable wheeling and dealing for players."
On Viduka's return from an Achilles injury, Kinnear added: "He's not far off it, I can tell you. Obviously he hasn't had games but you might find that he's on the bench on Saturday."