When Steve McClaren announced Seydou Doumbia's arrival at Newcastle United on loan from AS Roma at the end of the January 2016 transfer window, the hope was that the relegation-threatened Magpies could rediscover the form that had made the Ivory Coast international a sought-after striker across Europe.
Doumbia had earned a £10million move from CSKA Moscow to AS Roma after sparking interest from top clubs, but after failing to impress in Serie A with just two goals, he was loaned back to the Russian giants. There, he enjoyed an autumn goal glut with eight goals, putting him back on the radar of Europe's elite clubs.
That is where Newcastle came in. Doumbia's agent shopped him around clubs in Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Premier League in hopes of a January move, but with no takers, a rather desperate McClaren took an ill-fated punt on the centre-forward who had once won Swiss player of the year with Young Boys Berne.
A recommendation that backfired
Doumbia has become an almost-forgotten footnote in McClaren's disastrous reign, until he popped up on social media last week wearing a Toon top, sparking renewed interest in a bizarre transfer tale. It is thought the striker was a recommendation from former chief scout Graham Carr as a transfer power battle played out behind the scenes.
McClaren had been left incensed that he had been lumbered with signings such as Florian Thauvin and Aleksandar Mitrovic as Newcastle struggled in the Premier League. Both signings were coming to Newcastle regardless of whether McClaren wanted them or not, as previous manager John Carver had been told in the spring of 2015 what was happening.
Mitrovic could not settle down, and Thauvin's move was disastrous as he looked a flop at £12m, with even his own fans chanting 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' during a game away to Watford. Consequently, Thauvin was loaned back to France, and Mitrovic's lack of goals essentially set the tone for relegation.
A debut to forget
McClaren was at least afforded two of his own picks in the window, signing Jonjo Shelvey and Andros Townsend, but he was also handed Doumbia and Henri Saivet - another wildcard acquisition - by the recruitment team. Despite a few grumbles behind the scenes, McClaren said after signing the striker: "We have been searching for a forward and were delighted when the opportunity arose to take Seydou on loan. He is a natural goalscorer, someone who has scored goals in the Champions League and has played at the highest level. We believe he can make a mark in this team."
It soon became apparent that the only mark the forward would make was a huge blot on the transfer copybook. Doumbia came in looking remarkably unfit and overweight, and was sent on with Newcastle 4-0 down at Chelsea with 20 minutes to go when handed what Chronicle Live described as: "An impossible task of making a difference on his Premier League debut."
The Ivory Coast international's big chance came in an away game at Stoke on a Monday night as he was handed a chance to equalise but was denied by a point-blank save by Jack Butland. It was described in the next night's Chronicle as a moment that would have "papered over the cracks" for McClaren, and while he didn't know it then, the ex-England boss would only have one game left to save his bacon.
FIFA 15 legend
Newcastle would lose 3-1 to Eddie Howe's AFC Bournemouth with Doumbia not even getting off the bench before McClaren was fired a few days later. Doumbia and McClaren's relationship had barely lasted a month before Rafa Benitez arrived on the scene to assess the wreckage with 10 games to go.
Benitez was appointed manager on March 11 and called an impromptu training session that day as players were told to report at Benton on a day off. Doumbia was one of the players who answered the call, but he did not get much of a chance to impress Benitez. He got just three minutes during a 1-0 defeat to Leicester and never played again.
Doumbia's form in real life, with goals galore for Young Boys and CSKA Moscow, put him on the map, but he eventually became better recognised in the virtual world as one of the top stars to sign in FIFA 15's Ultimate Team. He boasted a devastating 93 Pace (including 94 Sprint Speed and 91 Acceleration) combined with 82 Dribbling and 86 Finishing. In gameplay, he felt completely unstoppable.
Doumbia was named in the top eight of 'overpowered FIFA players' in an article by Red Bull back in 2017. They wrote: "FIFA 15's biggest pace threat came in the form of Ivory Coast international Seydou Doumbia. Despite lacking strength and agility, he more than made up for those weaknesses with excellent dribbling and ball control, as well as providing lethal finishing from both close and long range. Seydou's real-life form saw him rewarded with a four-and-a-half-year deal with AS Roma in 2015."
Sadly, none of that was reflected during a miserable stint at Newcastle, with Benitez holding an inquest over who actually made the call to sign him. The Spaniard suspected it was Carr, and the former Tottenham scout parted ways with the club some months later.
Life after Newcastle
Newcastle were relegated and did not take up any option to purchase Doumbia permanently. He initially returned to AS Roma before a move back to Switzerland - where he had previously enjoyed success with Young Boys Berne - in a switch to Basel. The loan was a rip-roaring success for Doumbia, who grabbed 21 goals in the Swiss Super League as Basel won the title in 2017. But they refused to make his deal permanent after snubbing what they deemed an extortionate price for the star.
Roma again turned their noses up at Doumbia, and he was loaned to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, but he did not enjoy the same success amid a stormy relationship with Jorge Jesus, despite a cup hat-trick against Vilaverdense and a couple of goals in Europe. His lucrative four-year deal with Roma ended in 2018, and the striker's nomadic experiences continued. He had stints with Girona and then Sion, but he was fired after refusing to take a pay cut during the pandemic in 2020. A stint in Malta with Hamrun Spartans appears to be Doumbia's last port of call before retirement.
Doumbia popped up on social media last week donning a Newcastle shirt with his name emblazoned on the back as he jogged away on a treadmill in the Ivory Coast. It was a video which got the Toon Army talking again about a player whose three substitute appearances a decade ago became synonymous with another disastrous period in the Mike Ashley era. He also recently posted a picture of him in Roma colours with Alphaville's Forever Young as the track to accompany it. And these appear to be his reflective years after retirement from the game.
