Keegan focused on Arsenal despite arrival of Wise

The surprise arrival of Dennis Wise at St James' Park will not deflect Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan from his preparations for another tough assignment at Arsenal tonight.

The Magpies, knocked out of the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium just three days ago, are back for more in the Premier League.

In between those challenges, Keegan yesterday learned former England midfielder Wise is to quit as Leeds manager to join him on Tyneside - in an executive capacity.

The unexpected appointment was confirmed via a club statement on Leeds' website.

It read: "We have agreed a compensation package with Newcastle for the services of our manager Dennis Wise - and he will part company with the club on Tuesday, after completing the preparations for our game at Southend that evening.

"Newcastle had approached us for permission to speak with Dennis on Friday - and since then things have happened very quickly.

"We will always be grateful to Dennis for the way he has turned things around at the club on the playing side, and he goes with our best wishes for the future."

At Newcastle, meanwhile, Keegan has simply been trying to work out how to beat Arsenal.

Part of the solution seems to have been to tell Toon striker Shola Ameobi to follow in chief Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor's footsteps.

The 26-year-old Magpies frontman has seen his efforts to plug the gap left by Alan Shearer on his retirement hampered by injury, and found himself largely a forgotten man under former boss Sam Allardyce.

Keegan was swift to restore him to the starting line-up however following his latest return to fitness and is confident he can make a major impact.

Ameobi was not involved in Saturday's 3-0 fourth-round defeat at Arsenal, but could play a part tonight.

Adebayor scored twice at the weekend, and Keegan has ordered his own African-born front man to study the Togo international's game.

He said: "If you look at Adebayor, what I would say to Shola Ameobi is what I saw of Adebayor a year and a half ago when he first came on to the scene is what I saw of Ameobi when he first came on to the scene.

"That guy has kicked on and Shola has had injuries and other little problems, I guess, but he is 26 now and I don't think it is too late.

"Everywhere you go when you see a performance like that, you can say to a player: 'He is a similar size to you. Has he got more ability than you?'.

"Well, it would look so at the moment, but truthfully, I think Shola has got a lot of stuff packaged there that hasn't quite come out properly yet.

"People might say Alan was dominating when he was here - of course he was; so was (Thierry) Henry, but Adebayor has gone straight in and filled his boots.

"That's not easy, that's almost as difficult as filling Alan Shearer's here."

Newcastle head south with Keegan's last-ditch recruitment drive having so far failed to pay dividends - and the manager admitting he may have to negotiate the remainder of the season with what he already has.

He said: "We are set in the summer to add to the squad in a way I think will be really meaningful, as opposed to now where you are taking chances.

"If you get one who is an absolute top-notcher, who has played at the highest level, then you might do it. But at this moment in time, there have not been that many put forward to us who fit that criterion that you can realistically get."