Despite Newcastles’ lacklustre League form this season, Yohan Cabaye has kept a hold of his reputation and his price-tag.
13th place Newcastle who are five points above the drop zone (at the time of writing) have frustrated fans on numerous occasions this season. Alan Pardew has splashed the cash on some brand new French talent, but nothing has been able to kick the club out of its slumber.
A 3-0 battering at the hands of Paolo Di Canio’s Sunderland side (a painful defeat for the Toon faithful) may well be the nadir of the club’s season.
But things could go from bad to worse. Given the club’s form, its best players may well opt to move on when the summer transfer window.
This brings me to Yohan Cabaye, a player who was brought to the club back in 2011, during Newcastle’s first French revolution.
Ever since arriving on British shores, Cabaye has been a hit. The 27-year-old Frenchmen is one of the best passers in the Premier League. He’s a smart, dynamic player, who can create space for himself and then ping an accurate 40-yard pass without cracking a sweat.
More than that, though, he’s a smart passer (not unlike Michael Carrick), who knows when to keep it simple, when to spread play, when to attempt a through ball and when to go long. This range has made him an important player for Newcastle, who would certainly be sad to lose him.
Before we put a plug in this stream of compliments, we should also note his free-kick ability. He’s a clean striker of the ball and has demonstrated on numerous occasions that he knows how to find the back of the net. When he’s standing over a dead-ball, defenders get (rightfully) anxious.
These qualities were sure to start attracting ‘bigger’ clubs. And now, according to The Mirror, Manchester United are ready to spend £20m on the French midfielder.
They claim that Sir Alex Ferguson sent his brother to watch Cabaye during a recent Europa League game against Benfica.
Whether or not there’s any truth to these claims, I’d argue that Cabaye would be a good addition to this Manchester United midfield. His range of passing may well rival the retiring Paul Scholes and he would no doubt link up extremely well with the Red Devil’s swashbuckling forwards.
£20m is a lot of money, but in this situation, it’s be money well spent.
What’s your take? Should Manchester United seal a deal for this £20m French ace?
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I don’t see this happening. He has just persuaded his best friend , De Buchy to come to the Toon , he will be given the captains armband next season and his family are settled there. The price ticket Mike Ashley has put on his best players is a minimum of £25m and the club have no need to sell for profit.
Manchester United may not always get what they want in the transfer market.
Didn’t you pay 3.5 million for him? 15 million tops I reckon and that’s a great return. And unfortunately it’s no longer up to the clubs in this day and age of player power so if United want him and he wants to go to United its a done deal my friend and not for 25 million I would wager
And I’m not saying that I’m happy with the way the game works these days far from it. Just being realistic
Not really true. Carroll was sold for 35mil, and Cabaye’s fee would be similar. He’s a vital cog in the machine, future captain, and our chairman’s favourite player. If you think you’d get him for 15m (the same as Zaha), I think you’re in for a shock chap!
Unless my memory escapes me, Newcastle refused all offers for Andy Carroll (Who we didn’t buy, and was also injured) until £35mil. People seem to expect Newcastle will let their players go cheap because they’ve sold players that they no longer need
we might think about it at 30 mil if yous throw in phil jones
I can see Cabaye going to Utd but not for £20 million. Ashely has proven again and again that he will not sell his ‘purple’ players on the cheap. Cabaye is his most prize assest, next season’s captain and a brilliant ambassador for the club in France. Anything shy of £25-30 million and the Toon will reject the bid. He’s got a few years left on his deal and is professional enough to not demand a transfer.
Am again surprised to have hear of that. No wonder we lose mid field in most of the games, but my option would be for Ferguson to go for Barcolona starlet Thiago Alcantra who hasd a passing rate accurate of 90.4% than Cabaye.
please lets watch the space