Who would choose to be manager of Newcastle United? With all the politics, transfer limitations and player expectations, it’s been seriously difficult for the Magpies to progress over the last half decade or so. A job like this can’t be a lot of fun, can it?
I expect that Alan Pardew doesn’t enjoy the way that his best players simply up and leave at a moment’s notice. It’s hard to build towards success when your building blocks are happy to jump ship (sorry to mix metaphors) when offered Champions League football or bigger paychecks.
This is frustrating because Newcastle do have a knack for bringing in high quality players with the ability to excel in the Premier League. If they were to keep hold of them, there’s no reason why they couldn’t compete in Europe in the near future. As things currently stand however, that’s not likely to happen any time soon.
After a promising start to the season, The Magpies have been falling down the table over the last couple of months. This is in part thanks to Yohan Cabaye’s exit during the January transfer window. The Frenchman was Newcastle’s most naturally gifted footballer.
He provided them with cut and thrust from the midfield and helped to mould them into a more threatening attacking unit.
Unfortunately the club’s top brass agreed to sell him to PSG for £20m and no replacement was brought in.
And now we’re hearing news that another key member of this squad could be moving to PSG in the summer. When will the misery end? Check out these quotes from Newcastle full back, Mathieu Debuchy:
“PSG? I’m here until the end of the season and as for next year, I do not know. Yohan is a great loss for us, so obviously I was sad to see him go. But I’m happy for him because PSG is a great club. I’ve had the chance to speak with him a little since he left, and it’s clear that he’s really happy there.” (Source: The Mirror)
Whilst he doesn’t suggest that he’d like to move, it’s clear that the prospect of teaming up with Cabaye at a ‘great club’ like PSG would excite him. If the Ligue 1 side were to come in with another big money offer, I’m sure Alan Pardew would be powerless once more to stop them.
I fully expect that we’ll hear more stories of this nature over the coming months. What does the future hold for Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa, for instance?
One thing’s for sure. If the Magpies cant get their house in order and lock down their key men, the future’s going to be very bleak indeed.
What’s your take? Are Newcastle turning into a feeder club?
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