Newcastle United fans have taken an opportunity to remind Gabby Agbonlahor of his bizarre Brentford transfer claim on social media. The talkSPORT pundit has regularly sparred with the Toon Army in recent seasons, firstly over his defence of former head coach Steve Bruce.
Newcastle were winless and seemingly doomed to relegation when the ambitious owners completed their long-awaited takeover in October 2021. Eddie Howe was appointed as Bruce's replacement the following month, with a first victory of the season coming against Burnley three weeks before Christmas.
Prior to the drastic turnaround which eventually saw the Magpies comfortably avoid relegation with an 11th-place finish, speculation in the days after the takeover inevitably centered upon transfer speculation. Gareth Bale, Coutinho and Eden Hazard were among the superstars immediately linked with a St James' Park switch.
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However, Agbonlahor insisted Newcastle's predicament and geographic location would deter targets from making the move despite the ambitious project on offer. The ex-Aston Villa striker also claimed potential signings would prefer to sign for then newly-promoted Brentford instead, even if they were offered up to £10,000 per-week less with the Bees.
Thomas Frank's side have defied second-season syndrome predictions to sit eighth in the Premier League table, five points and three places adrift of the Magpies. Former Newcastle prospect Ivan Toney has been at the forefront of this rise, earning an England callup having netted 17 times so far this season.
Agbonlahor's comments proved to be immediately contentious, especially as Newcastle soon invested almost £100 million to secure five arrivals in the following January including Bruno Guimaraes. The Toon Army proved they have not forgotten claim 18 months' on, judging by their humorous responses to the pundit's recent social media post.
Agbonlahor asked whether he would be 'safe' to visit Tyneside in May having been invited to a stag do and wedding in the city. It led to numerous tongue-in-cheek replies from Newcastle fans, questioning why they would come to the North East rather than west London.
@NUFCgallowgate: "Wouldn’t you rather go to Brentford with less money?"
@psad: "I'd go to Brentford mate. It's a lot cheaper."
@LA88NUFC: "Surely he'd rather have it in Brentford for twice the price?"
@wlsnswords: "Would it not be cheaper and better to go to Brentford instead?????"
@LainQT: "This might be an excellent opportunity to really get to know the city and settle that 'anyone would rather go to Brentford for 10k less' issue once and for all."
@josephmaccabe: "HANG ON…… you’re telling me they wanted to have a stag AND A WEDDING in Newcastle and NOT in Brentford!!!????!!????!"
@DriFtLewis: "Surely you’d rather to to Brentford for slightly less money?"
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