Pardew reveals big bids

Alan Pardew says Newcastle turned down some big offers for their star players in the weeks before the transfer deadline.

Pardew had a frustrating summer as he failed to lure some of his top targets to the club but it was not all bad as he managed to keep his best players on board.
Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote were both being heavily linked with a move to Arsenal and it is thought at least one offer came in from the Gunners, while Chelsea were also said to be keen.
Demba Ba is another player that was in demand and Pardew has paid tribute to owner Mike Ashley for knocking back the offers that came in before the window closed.
"The fans should realise that we have not done too badly in the transfer window as we have kept our players, added some a few more and head into the campaign with a stronger squad than we had last season," Pardew said.
"We have had to fend off a few offers in the last few weeks and all credit to my board for turning them away. Now we can concentrate on football, rather than speculation over players and I welcome that."