Newcastle complete Cisse deal

Newcastle completed the signing of Senegal striker Papiss Demba Cisse from German side Freiburg on Tuesday on a five-and-a-half-year deal reported to be worth around £10 million. The Magpies confirmed the deal in a statement late Tuesday after a day of frenzied negotiating which ended with the 26-year-old forward being handed Newcastle's coveted number nine shirt. "I would like to thank everybody for their welcome, and for inviting me to sign for the club," Cisse said in a statement. "It is an honour to play for such a big club and I am looking forward to it. I want to pay back the confidence the club have shown in me, and give the supporters something to be proud of." "I am aware of the huge importance of the number nine shirt, and when I spoke with the manager he made it very clear how important this shirt is. "I will treat it with respect and I hope to do my very best in this shirt." The deal will see Cisse forge a partnership at club level with international team-mate Demba Ba when the two players return from African Nations Cup duty. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said Cisse, who has scored nine Bundesliga goals this term, had been his long-term choice to replace striker Andy Carroll following his move to Liverpool last January. "Ever since Andy Carroll left, Papiss was my first choice in the specific role he has at the end of the play," Pardew said. "He is a finisher with an already-established CV in the Bundesliga, where we have monitored him for the best part of two years. "Unfortunately he was out of reach, financially, for us in the summer, but it recently became apparent that Derek Llambias (managing director) and Lee Charnley (club secretary) could do the deal in this window. "I spoke to Demba about Papiss, and he cannot wait to join up with his team-mate in Newcastle. "In the short-term, of course, he is at the Africa Cup of Nations, but the competition he will bring to our squad when he joins up with us should inspire the players and reassure them of this club's ambition."