Surprise surprise – according to Newcastle United’s statement to the Stock Exchange, Duff has moved from Chelsea to Newcastle (leaving behind Tottenham in the process) for the small sum of 5 million pounds.

Here’s the statement you’ve undoubtedly seen on other news sites:

“The directors of Newcastle United PLC are pleased to announce that Damien Duff passed his medical and his transfer from Chelsea has been completed for a fee of £5million. The player has agreed personal terms and signed a five-year contract ending in June 2011.”

Excellent buy for Newcastle and congratulations to the club. But I’m wondering – what did Tottenham exactly bid for Duff (did they really come back with the 7 mil bid or did they stick it out at 5), and why have Chelsea decided to sell good players so cheaply

In the previous discussion on this topic, the general idea had been that Chelsea had turned down a 7 mil bid from Tottenham and Newcastle had subsequently upstaged them with a 10 mil bid. One or two comments suggested that the bid had actually been for 5 mil, but that seemed a bit ridiculous. We were blinded by Newcastle’s past and by Kenyon and Mourinho saying that they would not sell Duff cheaply.

Any ideas as to why Duff went to Newcastle for 5 mil Did Tottenham refuse to raise their bid from 5 to 7 mil And did Chelsea reject the Spurs but not Newcastle because Spurs weren’t willing to pay the full amount upfront (which Newcastle probably were)

Questions, questions…