It’s a brilliant bit of business that will leave many a Geordie sick to their stomach.
Yohan Cabaye, the midfield magician who’s engineered many moments for Magpies supporters, is leaving Newcastle United after a reported 19-20 million pound bid was lodged by French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
The now 28-year-old arrived at St. James Park to replace departed captain Kevin Nolan in 2011 for 4.3 million pounds from Lille, and to gain almost five times that fee in addition to the 18 goals and 15 assists he provided is pretty solid work from the Newcastle higher-ups. And Cabaye had his head turned by a 10 million pound bid from Arsenal this summer and later admitted readily to missing Champions League football.
But what will go back into the club, one led back into Europe by Cabaye in a brilliant 2011-12 campaign and at least tempting its fans European imaginations with wins over Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham this season?
And small picture: how will Newcastle’s current side react for today’s fixture with Norwich City? Different situation, but this summer’s Cabaye turmoil watched them get smoked 4-0 at the Etihad to open the season while the French star’s status was in Gunners doubt.
Owner Mike Ashley is hard to read and director of football Joe Kinnear has had trouble even pronouncing his players names — calling Cabaye ‘Yohan Kebab’ in an interview — not to mention remembering which ones he’s brought to SJP. In fact, Kinnear and manager Alan Pardew had to backtrack to talking up last January’s moves for Yoan Gouffran, Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Massadio Haidara and Moussa Sissoko when this August landed them only a loan deal for Loic Remy (though many would likely say that’s fair considering the quality of such a group).
And as Remy allegedly won’t sign a full transfer because of what may await him this summer, Newcastle supporters are left to wonder whether they have the people in charge to take the next step. It appears long-sought transfer Luuk de Jong may be in town for a medical, but he’s struggled to find form at new club Borussia Mönchengladbach and it looks to be a loan move as well. Does this mean more than a half-hour of match time for mercurial-yet-magnificent Hatem Ben Arfa?
There will be a new No. 4 at Newcastle United at some point soon, and he’ll have a lot to do to live up to the standards set by Cabaye and Nolan, (and perhaps Nobby Solano before them). And perhaps Cabaye will join Demba Ba and Andy Carroll as those to net outrageous fees and then struggle away from the club that boosted their reputations — and again, perhaps not — but supporters will continue to ask whether another elite player will ever be priceless at St. James Park. Would Alan Shearer have enjoyed a 10-year-run in the Northeast had the current buyers, and sellers, been in place?
