Newcastle's French Revolution: for the future or a yard sale in the making?
“I saw a headline saying Arsenal are flying the flag for Britain. I kind of wondered where that British involvement actually was when I looked at their team.”
“It’s important that top clubs don’t lose sight of the fact that it’s the English Premier League and English players should be involved.”- Alan Pardew on Arsenal after they failed to field a single British player in a Champions League tie against Real Madrid in 2006.
Alan Pardew, manager of Newcastle United
Karma. Internet, as amazing as it can be in all it’s resourcefulness can sometimes come back to bite a guy in football management in the behind, as his past lies an intimidating click away. While the social media was busy excavating Pardew’s blast from the past, Newcastle United were busy finalising a cut price £1 million, six-and-a-half year deal for Toulouse midfielder, Moussa Sissoko, dubbed the new Patrick Vieira. He, being their fifth French acquisition of the January transfer window following the arrival of Yanga M’biwa, Gouffran, Haidara and Debuchy from Montpellier, Nancy, Bordeaux and Lille respectively.
All in all, Newcastle can now field a starting team of ten (yes, ten) French nationals in a 3-5-2 formation. While due credit should be given to the entire Newcastle back-room staff, one name that stands out is of the Chief Head Scout Graham Carr, the man who plucked the likes of Cheick Tiote, Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye and Papiss Cisse from relative obscurity to stardom at a reasonable (understatement), combined price of £18 million, whose worth now will send the Newcastle balance sheets into frenzy. The man whose knowledge of French Football according to Newcastle legend Kevin Keegan is second to none. No wonder they’ve tied him up to a contract till 2020.
While Newcastle did manage to hold their own last season finishing a commendable fifth, just four points behind the final Champions League spot, its safe to say, this season hasn’t exactly panned out according to plan. Inconsistent form and an unlucky spate of injuries to some key players mean that they sit at an abysmal sixteenth position, just two points off the drop zone. Despite their best efforts to recruit random French blokes who can also play football in the January transfer window, the nightmares of the 2008- 09 season (relegated with 23 points) would be still afresh in the minds of the Newcastle faithful, and the prospect of a certain Deja- Vu can’t be disregarded.
With an appalling record of two wins from the last eighteen games, Pardew has certainly felt the heat this winter, and come this May, it can all go even more horribly wrong for them. Putting things into perspective, they do have a decent lot of players in their squad, keeping hold of whom might turn out to be a daunting task this summer even if they do manage to avoid the drop.
Yohan Cabaye, whom Newcastle acquired for an economical worth £4 million from Lille in the summer of 2011, has quickly established himself as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Premier League. Arsene Wenger has been rumoured to be a fan of him, and with a host of other British clubs, might finally make a move at the end of the season to test Newcastle’s resolve to hold on to a player who is under contract till 2016.
Hatem Ben Arfa who has been known to terrorise defences with his blistering pace on the wings has gained a reputation of one of the most talented players in the Premier League despite his injury concerns. In spite of lingering apprehensions over his attitude, he would be a valuable addition to any team, after having already admitted to his love for Paris Saint- Germain:
“PSG is the club of my heart. If there’s an offer for me then I’ll study it with interest. If there’s an offer. The ‘if’ is important.”
Another player who springs to mind is one of their latest acquisitions, versatile center- back Mapou Yanga- Mbiwa, who prior to joining the Toon army, was one of the hottest transfer properties in Europe with a host of clubs confirming their respective interests in him. From being involved in Champions League football to tussling in a relegation battle in a single season isn’t exactly a career leap, and Montpellier (his ex- club) president Louis Nicollin was quick to suggest the same.
“As for Newcastle, this really is not a good choice – he will re-transfer next year, his move does not bother me.” (Cue: a cut- price deal despite his five-and a half-year contract if Newcastle do succumb in the race to avoid the drop)
Meanwhile, Mathieu Debuchy (on a five-and a half-year long deal) and Moussa Sissoko (a £2.2 million bargain himself, on six-and a half-year long deal) are the other two French internationals who have the desired quality to play in top- flight football, their immediate departures though, depending hugely on Newcastle’s fate over the summer.
The Magpies need to get their act together over the next four months or their Louis XVI (Alan Pardew) should brace himself for a brutal invasion in which there would be no Liberty, Equality or Fraternity involved.