I think he has a deteriorating tendon in one of his knees.
Not sure what the ramifications are in terms of timescale.
The trouble is that kind of injury can be quiet as you like for a season or so and suddenly the wrong tackle comes in and you've got a problem that will keep coming back. Everytime you hurt it again you're making the knee weaker and more easily injured.
It's not easy to say, "Oh, his knees are fu**ed, we shouldn't sign him", because that's what Stoke did and Ba's goals could well be seen as the difference between Stoke and Newcastle's positions at the moment. It's a simple conclusion, but not that far fetched, and demonstrates the difference between taking a risk and not.
In the end it's a gamble with any player who has a suspect injury record. For the present, Ba seems to be comfortable on his knee, but one bad bit of contact and suddenly his recurring problem will be exacerbated. Personally I think we could go for a 'safer' option in terms of injury record, especially as Newcastle may want a significant fee now.
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