After
announcing the signing of Dion Kelly-Evans yesterday, the Magpies have now added
experienced trio Ben Turner, Sam Slocombe and Zoumana Bakayogo.
Experienced
defender Turner is a centre-back who has amassed almost 300 League appearances
and has played in each of England’s top four tiers.
He
was most recently with SkyBet League Two side Mansfield Town.
Turner
started his career with Coventry City, making his professional debut aged 18 in
April 2006.
He
joined Peterborough United on loan for the first part of the following season
before returning to the Ricoh Arena in January and spending a short time at Oldham
Athletic.
In
2007/08 he began to establish himself in the Coventry team and was part of the
side that recorded a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in the League Cup.
He
stayed with the Sky Blues until the summer of 2011, when Cardiff City parted
with a reported £750,000 to secure his services.
The
31-year-old enjoyed a hugely successful first season with the Bluebirds as they
reached the final of the League Cup, where Turner scored a dramatic equaliser
deep into extra-time to send the tie to penalties. They were ultimately beaten
by Liverpool.
The
defender made 43 appearances during that campaign as Cardiff also qualified for
the Championship play-offs but lost to West Ham in the semi-finals, who went on
to be promoted.
The
Bluebirds won the title the following season and Turner made 31 Premier League
appearances during 2013/14.
Injuries
restricted him to just 19 appearances in all competitions over the next two
campaigns with a loan at former club Coventry preceding his release from
Cardiff in June 2016.
From
there he moved to Burton Albion and made 99 appearances before joining
Mansfield for the second half of 2018/19.
Goalkeeper
Slocombe was most recently with Bristol Rovers, having joined them in July
2017, and made just shy of 200 Football League appearances following his pro
debut in September 2009.
The
31-year-old started his career at hometown club Scunthorpe and represented them
in the Championship, League One and League Two before his departure in 2015.
From
there he joined Oxford United and made 23 League appearances as the U’s earned
promotion out of the fourth tier.
He
joined Blackpool at the end of that campaign and went on to secure a second
consecutive promotion from League Two, playing in a 2-1 win at Wembley in the
play-off final.
Bristol
Rovers snapped him up in July 2017 and he turned out 27 times in his first
season at the Memorial Stadium, before joining Lincoln City on loan for the
first half of the following campaign.
Bakayogo
was most recently with Tranmere Rovers.
The
defender was part of the Rovers side that earned promotion out of League Two
last season.
The
32-year-old has represented the Ivory Coast at under-23 level, making four
appearances for Les Éléphants.
He
began his career with Paris Saint-Germain but never made a senior appearance
for the French champions.
His
professional bow instead came for Millwall in August 2006, who he spent
two-and-a-half years with before joining Tranmere for the first time in January
2009.
The
full-back made 146 appearances for Rovers before departing in July 2013 and
heading to Leicester City, where he remained until January 2016 when he signed
for Crewe Alexandra.
He
spent two years in Cheshire and represented the Railwaymen 104 times in all
competitions before returning to Tranmere last July.
Bakayogo
made 25 appearances in the Rovers defence last season and played an important
role as they earned a second consecutive promotion. |