The inside story of how THIS former England international's Newcastle United 'dream' was ended

15 OCT 1994: JOHN SALAKO OF CRYSTAL PALACE IS PURSUED BY RUEL FOX OF NEWCASTLE UNITED DURING THE PREMIERSHIP GAME AT SELHURST PARK. Mandatory Credit: Clive Mason/ALLSPORT

Back in the summer of 1995, the Crystal Palace wideman came very close to signing for Kevin Keegan’s Magpies but, as Salako reveals, United pulled out of the deal after signing David Ginola.

Speaking exclusively to the Hollywood Balls podcast, Salako said: “It was end of season and I flew off to Jamaica for my two weeks holiday, after about three days I got a call from my agent saying Kevin Keegan wanted to sign me. I’d walk there straight after my holiday, whatever it takes - I was delighted.

“My agent said if I wanted to sign I had to come now, so I got a flight and flew straight into Newcastle.

“Keegan was trying to sign David Ginola. Ginola had stated he wanted £30k a week and a host of add ons etc. Kevin said ‘no your salary will be this and we can work out a few extras but that is my offer’.

“So during this period Kevin’s obviously said ‘this is proving difficult I’ll go and get John Salako.

“So I was flown in and thought all my birthdays had arrived at once, you know Newcastle, a massive club. I was desperate to join, I was taken onto the Wynyard estate and shown where I could live by Sir John (Hall) also a tour of the training ground and all of the facilities. But as the day wore on I began to get this horrible feeling that something wasn’t quite right.”

Salako continued: “In the end Kevin said look this isn’t going to get done today. So it was the beginning of the end I think for Kevin, as Kevin was well in with Douglas (Hall) and there was a divide with him, Sir John and Freddie Shepherd.

“With Kevin having an attitude of this is what I want, this is how I’m doing it he was the pied piper and all football decisions had to be his. Cut a long story short NUFC ended up going back to Ron Noades (then Crystal Palace chairman) saying it wasn’t happening and that Crystal Palace could put a press release

out.

“So Ron Noades puts out a release saying I didn’t want to move as far North as Newcastle! Which was just ridiculous, it was a blatant lie, I got around 3000 letters from irate Toon fans, I was just so devastated.

“My last words to Kevin were can’t you just sign both of us.

“That was a massive blow to my career and I still think of what might have been.”

*John Salako was speaking exclusively to Hollywood balls. Hollywood balls is a sports based podcast in the U.A.E. and all interviews can be downloaded via Apple, Spotify & Facebook.