Now Kevin Keegan has hinted that Ameobi could be given the opportunity to stay at St James' Park after Ipswich pulled out of a deal due to a hamstring problem.
Keegan: "Shola is back with us and he will be in full training on Monday. He's fit and I am quite happy to have him back.
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"For £2.4 million where am I going to get a player like Shola? He knows the Premier League and the club and he understands the area. I don't look at it as a minus at all.
"Who knows? He might be our top scorer this season - I wouldn't put it past him.
"We all know players who were going to leave, but stay and have a great season and then sign a new contract."