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During the brief spell Louis Saha spent with Newcastle in the 1998-99
season, it would have been impossible to foresee the career he would go
onto enjoy in English football. Saha arrived at Newcastle on loan from
Metz in January 1999 and stayed with the Magpies until the end of that
season, making his debut as a second-half substitute for Andreas
Andersson in a 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea. A pacey and exciting, but
rather raw, centre forward, Louis played for Newcastle twelve times (six
starts), scoring two goals. His first start for Newcastle was at Elland
Road on February 6th, as the Magpies won 1-0 at Leeds, and his first
goal for the club followed a few weeks later with a scuffed header in a
4-1 win over Coventry.
Far more important though, was Saha's goal in his
next appearance, the FA Cup 5th Round replay away at Blackburn. Racing
onto a long pass from Dietmar Hamann, Louis fired in the only goal of
the game and secured Newcastle's place in the quarter-finals of the FA
Cup. The Magpies went on to reach the FA Cup final that year, losing 2-0
to eventual treble winners Manchester United, but for Saha there was
disappointment as the Blackburn game would prove to be his last outing
in the competition. For the remainder of the season he was used
sparingly from the bench, and the Blackburn goal proved to be his
second, and last, for Newcastle. At the end of the season Louis returned
to Metz, but after one more season in France he was on his way to
Fulham for £2million. An instant hit at Craven Cottage, Saha netted 64
goals in four seasons, to earn his dream move to Manchester United in
2004. Though frequently troubled by injury his career continued to
develop and he appeared for France at the 2006 World Cup. (Martin Rowntree)
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