Pardew: Remy had a ´fantastic offer´

Alan Pardew says Newcastle made QPR’s new signing Loic Remy a ‘fantastic offer’ but refused to pay ‘silly money’ for him.

The striker looked set to join the Magpies after a deal had been agreed with Marseille but, according to Pardew, the Frenchman never arrived, choosing instead to move to Loftus Road.

“It was a little strange,” Pardew told the Evening Chronicle on Thursday.

“We made a fantastic offer and it was accepted, then he didn’t arrive.

“The club is on a solid financial footing but we won’t pay silly money. We made a fantastic Premier League offer. The player made a decision and stood by it.”

The Tyneside club were hoping to add Remy to their squad in place of Demba Ba, who agreed a move to Chelsea at the start of January, with Pardew acknowledging the need to consider their targets carefully before buying.

“We need a replacement for Demba Ba,” he said.

“It is important that we don’t make a knee-jerk reaction.

“We need to be strong for the second half of the season. We need one or two players to strengthen our position.”

Pardew also faces a crisis surrounding the future of club captain Fabricio Coloccini, who is being touted with a move back to Argentina and former club San Lorenzo, though his old side are struggling to find the cash to buy him outright.

“We are going to sit down next week and come to a conclusion,” the Magpies boss said.

“He’s done particularly well for us. There’s obviously a problem there but sometimes the best way of dealing with it is to be on the pitch.”