Pardew: Ba move is 'done'

Waiting for more news on Demba Ba? Well, here's something promising if you're super-keen to get your hands on the Newcastle United centre forward:

Pardew on Ba to Chelsea: "It's done. He will go to Chelsea with our blessing ... all the uncertainty is now done and we can move on."

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) January 2, 2013

Ba was omitted from the #NUFC squad tonight and has travelled down to London to finalise his #CFC move and undergo a medical at the club.

— Matt Lewis (@mattlewis27) January 2, 2013

If all goes well -- and with Ba, passing a medical isn't exactly a walk in the park -- we might see the official announcement as soon as this evening (although I'd bet on early tomorrow instead). This is, of course, fantastic news. Wages are going to be high but not cripplingly so, and Ba would give us a strong option to lead that line that neither the recently-departed Daniel Sturridge nor Fernando Torres provided.

With Rafa Benitez recently confirming that he'd be willing to rotate Torres should Ba come in, this bodes very well for the remainder of Chelsea's season. We needed a new centre forward, and all indications are that we're about to land him. Hurray!