Lille manager announces Cabaye’s departure to Newcastle (+ videos)

Posted on May 30th, 2011 | 130 Comments |

Yohan Cabaye - transferring to Newcastle.
Wearing black & white next season
The Lille manager announces French midfielder Yohan Cabaye’s departure to Newcastle United at a press conference.

After his final league match for Lille yesterday, Yohan Cabaye told Lille manager Rudi Garcia that he would indeed be playing his football for Newcastle United next season.

At a press conference after yesterday’s game Garcia said:

“Yohan announced yesterday to me first, then the whole group, that he has made his choice to join Newcastle. It is a choice that I respect, although I would have liked him to stay with us.”

It has apparently surprised a few French pundits in that he’s leaving a team with European qualification for one that finished 12th in the Premier League, but allegedly Cabaye is looking for ‘new challenges’.

Allegedly he cost us about 6 million Euros (£5.2m), which was the cost of his contractual release clause at Lille and it is said that he has signed a 4 year contract at Newcastle.

He looks a decent enough player, although I haven’t seen enough of him to form any solid opinions yet. Most of my knowledge of Cabaye comes from the Dennis Wise recommended method of assessing the player via YouTube.

Here’s a another couple of videos of Cabaye in action:

Oddly enough, one of the translations I got from the French media said “Newcastle is about to take a strong French accent”, which conjured up all sorts of thoughts as to what a Franco-Geordie accent might sound like (“Oui man, Howay le jeune hommes”).

I suppose all that remains to be said is welcome Yohan.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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130 Responses

  1. Good buy. Not so extravagant price for a player on the fringes of the french national team. Maybe he can step up with the Toon

  7. Certainly differs from Barton’s tweeting about Ashley not wanting to spend any money. Hope this is the first of many this summer. Great to see us getting in early

  9. This is good stuff. The more midfielders we have the less chance of Alan Smith ever being on the pitch again. With the players we are buying it is leaving us in a position of power when dealing with players. Gosling, Hatem, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutti, Ferguson, LuaLua…hopefully Barton and Nolan. We still need someone strong on the right.

  11. I think this guy is gonna be Bartons replacxement, so Bartons getting in there first with his sourgrapes stories twits imo… I think if he had really wanted to stay at the Toon no matter what, he’d have sign the contract that ws offered to him back in Feb & not whinge like a biatch until now.. tough-titties Barton, time to move on to the Toffee’s or warmm the bench.. ;)

  12. Good article on newsnow had this to say

    “The contract with Newcastle has not been signed yet; Yohan is part of the 26-man France squad that will play against Belarus in a Euro 2012 qualifier and then two friendlies against Poland and Ukraine. Once those matches are out the way Cabaye will make his way to the North-East and finalise his move to become the newest member of the Toon Army”

    Hope he does not get mashed up :)

  15. Apparently Barton has been doing some after dinner speaking and calling Ashley and Lambias, that’s why there’s no contract on offer for him.

  18. WTF!? When the F%$K did will pull this off!? Guys, why are you not ranting and raving about this signing? Have you he seen this guy play? He is fantastic and a real natural footballer. If he’s Barton’s replacement then make no mistake about it, we have DEFINITELY improved as a team.

    As much as I like Barton, he is not a natural footballer. He takes time to make decisions on the pitch. This guy almost does things in one fluid motion. It’s the difference between a quality English(normally) and a quality European midfielders. I.e. Modric

    I am genuinely excited about this deal if it goes through. It means we are shaping our team into a more fluid unit, a la Spurs. GOOD TIMES!

  19. El T – Not when, but HOW did we pull this off. Thats what I want to know.

    I just hope its the start of things and not a one off for the window.

  20. BB

    Most definitely. I must say, I like the direction Carr is taking the team in. He really is quality with the signings.

  22. Dont agree nufc337, but to be fair JB isn’t doing himself any favours is he?

  23. so i said to the CAB driver..king arthur’s close..

    he said..don’t worry..we’ll lose him at the set of lights.

  25. he actually said..the next set of lights..

    it’s this whiskey diet i’m on…

    ..i’ve lost 3 days already.

  27. sweet relief, cant imagine there’s any other French Int player u could get for 5m…great price, great player:

    As Cabaye might say: howay les hommes!!

  28. Cant believe people on here are slagging off Barton he is saying what aloy of fans are thinking about the owners. Hope we keep Barton. Never seen Cabaye play but hope he is as good as people are saying.

  29. Just seen quite a few vids on this yohan he looks a pretty good player so hope he brings us some exciting football,just think with in midfield with guiterrez,ben-arfa,tiote sounds good and promissing times to come.

  31. barton is a great player, but really leagues better than Gutherie or Smudger??

    So good as to keep Gosling off the pitch when he’ll need to gain as much PL exp as possible?

    i think, with natural wingers (jonas/Ferg, Seb Larss MAYBE), Tiptoe a natural in middle with Cabaye, and Nolan as second striker/attacking mid…

    Is Barton truely relevant to the Toon Future?

  32. Just goes to show what good it has done having HBA & Tiote at the club.
    Howay L’hommes!

    Maybe a couple more french lads now, hey?
    :)

  33. oh, and assuming as i have that Gosling might be a spare center mid (to cover all the games tiote’s out suspended) – do we defo think Cababye will be played in the Center Mid alondside Tiote?

  34. Good news if this signing is true.

    In other news, former NUFC loan player is now worth ££££££.
    Did we miss something here? I thought he was shit.

    “Barcelona are set to beat Tottenham to the signing of former Manchester United reserve forward Giuseppe Rossi from Villarreal in a staggering £40m deal. “

  35. I wonder whether the way the club looked after Ben Arfa, after he was injured, that was praised by the French media, influenced his decision to move to the club and join his countryman?

  37. Kamar,
    that & the fact that we paid money for him while he was injured. HBA should attract a couple more, which would be nice.
    :)

  38. Seems like a good player but i dont like the idea of one in one out. our main issue this yr was a squad that was thread bare at times of injuries/ suspensions. Weneed to keep p[layers like barton and add new faces like this fella too. Competition for places and much needed quality extra bodies is what we need if we want a good cup run this yr too!

  39. surely the last piece of the French jigsaw would be Gamerio up front?

    Him, HBA and Cabaye stringing passes togther like a cord of garlic bulbs, maybe the next kit will have the stripes running horizontal too..

    …Pards sporting a beret, and all our research videos of opposition produced in black and white New Wave Cinema 16mm film

  40. ….”surely the last piece of the French jigsaw would be Gamerio up front?”

    Totally agree 100% Milner. preferable to Gervinho imo, but both would be even better.
    :mrgreen:

  43. I know I do this every year, but damn am I getting excited now. We seem to be gaining a few quality class players and attracting class ones too. If we can capture 2 quality strikers, keep Jose and get a few squad players to boost our ranks, I think we may do quite well next season. A more faster and creative midfield and front is what we need.

  44. hoilet looks top notch…last year of contract with most good players we are going for..the best way forward getting them on the cheap…plus they say we are paying cash up front..so clubs like that better then over 2or 3 years..once we sign are first player..i will be happy with the club going forward..nolan and barton are not are future…with ashley playing hard ball with them…giving them what he thinks they are worth..taylor did the same..then did a u turn and signed..this is the way forward with these greedy players..dont wont to come for that money then piss off..

  45. Good news. Just hoping it doesn’t trigger a load of outbounds. I’m fairly certain we’ll need a new LB soon, and the way Barton has been spouting off it’s looking like the end of the road for him too. It’s vital we increase our numbers, none of this bloody one in one out sh1te.

  46. Went looking for additional info on Cabaye, and according to wiki, he’s already enjoying a career at the toon!

    Yohan Cabaye (born 14 January 1986 in Tourcoing) is a French football player who currently plays for English club Newcastle United.
    He plays as a box-to-box midfielder and is described as a player who possesses “excellent vision, great ball control”, and “provides technical quality”.[3] Cabaye is also known for his penalty-taking ability.[4]

    Cabaye began his football career playing for hometown club Tourcoing FC at the age of five. After seven years developing in the club’s youth academy, he joined professional club Lille. Cabaye spent six years in the club’s youth academy before making his professional debut in the 2004–05 season helping Lille win the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup. He became a regular starter in the following season and participated in the UEFA Champions League for the first time under Claude Puel. Under manager Rudi Garcia, Cabaye developed into a playmaker and had his best season to date in the 2009–10 season scoring over 15 goals from the midfield position. In the 2010–11 season, he was a part of the Lille team that won the league and cup double.

    Cabaye is a former French youth international having represented his nation at under-16, under-18, under-19, under-20, and under-21 level. At under-19 level, he played on the team that won the 2005 European Under-19 Football Championship. With the under-20 team, Cabaye played at the 2006 edition of the Toulon Tournament. At under-21 level, he served as captain of the team for a portion of his stint. In August 2010, Cabaye was called up to the senior team for the first time under new manager Laurent Blanc. He made his international debut on 9 August in a friendly match against Norway.

  48. It’s OK for basic info though Phisix, although I get your point. I can remember reading about Steve McLaren on there once, shorty before he got sacked from England. Apparently he was forced into early retirement due to an anal injury. That edit didn’t stay up too long :D

  50. @45 bound to be some outgoings, just need to keep the spine of the team. Colo Jose Nolan JB Tiote.
    Tho I think JB has bitten off more than he can chew.

  51. @50, yeah mate I expect that, I’ve just become too used to diminishing numbers. I’m expecting 3 or 4 out (including Carroll) but we’ve been short on numbers since the beginning of the season we got relegated, I still believe that’s why we went down. We still can’t cope with injuries and suspensions.

    Keeping the spine of the team is definitely important, and I think we will to some extent. I’ll eat my own hands if we hold onto Enrique though. My optimistic transfer prediction for this summer will be another 3 out and 3 or 4 in.

  52. I think if we can get a few big signings in soon it will show Enrique that we want to go places and it may make him stay and sign a new contract.

  53. not enough tho is it?
    Would be a major plus if we could somehow keep Jose.
    I’m hopeful, but wouldn’t put the mortgage on it.
    Hopefully will be sorted one way or the other this week tho.

  54. Is it or should it be up to our present players to say they’ll only stay if…?
    Although if we get 2/3 in quick, they won’t have a leg to stand on…It’s not very nice though, is it?
    :)

  55. What I find interesting and encouraging is that we have bought Cabaye from the French champions and last year we bought Tiote from the Dutch champions.

    Contrary to what many doom mongers say about the club only shopping in the bargain basement we are actually(well Carr is) looking at the top sides in Europe for players at the right age who have yet to reach their peek.

    Let’s hope there is more to come.

  56. Kamar,
    soon, the ‘doomers’ won’t have a leg to stand on either, hey?
    :)

  58. Kamar – picking done from dutch winners, french winners, and so the logical step would be to pinch a player from the Spanish winners…oh wait…that might be tricky…Mascherano??

  59. Now that we got Cabaye,theres no doubt we can get Hazard and Gervinho. Lol a straight french invasion….i would shit my pants defending this.

    Harper

    Simpson Taylor Colo Enrique

    Tiote Cabaye

    Gervinho Ireland Ben Arfa

    Hazard

    Lol im clearly dreaming but honestly thats only like two players away..Get another rb and that might be cl league

  60. I heard on the grapevine that Enrique is having contract talks tomorrow. I think it’s common knowledge now that he’ll be offered a very good deal. Personally I think we’re moving too slow (although in the right direction) for Enrique, who at 25, really needs European football to get him a chance of playing for Spain. Can’t blame him really. Hope he stays but I doubt it.

  61. Rod,
    at least with the money we’ll get for him(Jose), if he does go, we should be able to get someone decent in.

  62. Also,
    as much as i’d prefer JB to stay too, i think it’s fair to say that he hasn’t been quite as effective since ‘you know who’ left.

  63. Yeah I know what you mean Rodz, this is an important season for him no doubt. May come down to Pardew selling him the dream lol

  64. Here’s hoping eh CLiNT. He’s got to be worth at least 10m.

    There’s that apparent £6M bid for LB Cheikh M’Bengue from Toulouse.

  65. Rodz,
    at least mate.
    £10-15m seems about right.
    & if it’s a club further up the ladder than us, definitely!
    The, supposed, M’bengue bid would be nice with cash to spare.
    ;)

  68. If we can get a couple in fast, maybe it would show other potential signees what we’re trying to do here & encourage a flock of decent players with ambition to push on.

  70. Rodz,
    ta for that mate.
    He looks big, strong, tenacious with some skill.
    I like!

  71. @ Piers:

    I thought Hazard was a midfielder? It would be nice if we could have him but that would never happen. Ireland? No thanks, sick note.

    I am down with a French connection. How about we just buy all of Lille’s front attack! ;) At least we know they can play and win together.

  72. 27 i think. Still got plenty to give! Showed what he was capable of in a few cameo appearances for spurs this season, and when he was gettin regular football he was awesome. I think he would be a great signing.

  73. Ireland would be the perfect compliment to Cabaye and Tiote…..great facilitator in a cam area…..and ya hazard isnt a striker hes like a messi kinda of a player, he roams everywhere….the point is with hba gerv and haz you don’t need a so called set striker, it could be any of them

  74. @ 71:

    Apparently another Lille player – Mathieu Debuchy, is quite a good right back who can also fill in as a defensive playmaker.

    Lille could become our feeder club!

  75. a 50 mil combo for gerv and haz….would be fantastic in my opinion but obv doubtful in the real football world

  77. Hazard worth 40m?

    I think we need to buy a few class PL proven players as well as these quality offshore players since we don’t know if they will make the grade in the PL, or even take time to adjust.

    Things are looking up though.

  78. bbc web confirm the Cabaye deal, but Lille poo poo any Gervinho talk…given his CL stated interest aswell, i think we can probably stop dreaming him into the team.

    and what with Swansea all but set for the PL, will they still be wanting to sell Pratley? (i hope not, i dont want him).

    What other strikers are/should we linked with? – given this is our major role that need filling 2/3 times over…

  79. French league player of the year at 20…..thats quite impressive….gervinho will be between 10-20 mil…i would say hazards over 20 mill…..and ya ireland’s injury prone but in my opinion he would fit better with those players than nolan would

  80. Piers,
    maybe he would ‘fit’ better, but would he be ‘fit’ enough of the time? Both physically & mentally?

  82. Do you seriously expect ashley to fork out cash on ireland?
    Its not going to happen. He was given a chance to make his mark and it didn’t happen for him. Not worth the risk for a 2nd one
    IMHO

  83. Aye Piers,
    i thought Barton would like, but he was injured for all but this season really, so have we had real Value for money from him?

  84. BB,
    aye mate, his injury problems didn’t really allow him the time to show what he’s capable of, but that’s football sometimes…One shot!

  85. Yeah I’m not calling him, actually I was hoping things would work out 4 him, as he showed some class at manc b4 the money people came in.
    Looks like a perma crock now tho, so I think we will look elsewhere now.

  87. 7 mil for Barton….thats a fifth of what carroll (35mil) cost to liverpool….value’s so subjective but if you’re asking me if it was worth it?… ya he was our best player this year….and my mistake on ireland i forgot he went back to villa.

  88. All i’m saying Piers, is that we’ve only had one season outta JB so far, through injury.
    That’s the VFM i’m on about mate.

  89. yea i understand your pt i think….injury prone should be taken into consideration with value….but it hardly ever is.

  90. Piers,
    aye mate.
    Don’t get me wrong though, i love what Joey’s done this season, man o’the year!

  91. Clint I think it might come down to more than VFM mate.
    The latest shenanigans by JB on twatter could be the nail in the coffin.
    If you take on the fat controller, dont expect to win.

  92. BB,
    aye, if you take on y’boss you rarely win mate.
    He’s no shrinking violet wor Joey like.
    At least he’ll be playing for either a new contract or a new club though. So he should still get stuck in.

  93. Yup, I bet he wishes he had taken that 2 yr extension now?
    I know I do.

  94. BB,
    aye man,
    cos if he had, he coulda angled for an extension anyway, then he may have ended up with what he initially wanted.
    I reckon agents muddy the waters more often than not.
    It’s getting to the point where most clubs have agents number, so the negotiations have to be very strategic.

  95. galatasary just picked up Elmander for free from Bolton…wuda thought we might have tried to hijack that one…

    JoeyB a great scrapper, who we either bag 4million for (thus replacing money spent on Cabaye), or he stays for one final season and shows the Frenchman how to tackle…

    But i dont see him in the future of Nufc, he’s a bit of a scumbag/he’s pretty slow/his crossing is good,but perhaps not quite an out’an’out RighMid…and free kicks aren’t great…

  96. milner,
    glad we didn’t go for elmander, he’s not that suited to the prem, for me like.
    Bit harsh calling Joey a bit of a scumbag, he was a daft kid, that’s grown up recently. Aye, bit slow, but great crosser, great motivator too, good corners.

  97. He’s played RM ‘for the team’ mate. He’s a CM ‘by trade’ imho.

  98. clint: agree on Elmander, but unlikely to ever invite joey for tea at my house. He did clean up his act, but i saw him at the away game against spurs and he was pinching players in the rib cage, squaring up etc…

    It led to a quiet crowd going mental, singing anti-joey songs and therefore getting behind their team…it just made me feel a bit ashamed to be a toon (sitting inbetween spurs fans, asking me “Whats his problem?”)

    plus he had a crap game/tho played great aginst arsenal in the 4-4

  99. Milner – a tad harsh all that mate. He does have a good attitude to the game tho. And he a good leader n character in the dressing room. I really would like to keep him at the club. You cant buy that ya kna.

  100. BB – true, true…and i would prob prefer him to stay, but it would be as a squad player now in my eyes, and therefore i wouldnt be that fussed if he went for money or after giving us one more season of blood n guts.

  101. milner,
    i get ya’ point mate, but you can’t judge him on that game alone man.

  102. How can we sign one player then all of a sudden our player of the season become a squad player in your eyes? Have i just misread something here?

  103. ben,
    i think he means that JB will be playing his final season, so he can’t be relied on after that, therefore, we can’t play him continuously?
    Just a guess mate.
    ;)

  104. ben says:
    May 30, 2011 at 6:27 pm

    “How can we sign one player then all of a sudden our player of the season become a squad player in your eyes? Have i just misread something here?”

    That’s Newcastle United fans for you Ben! :-)

  105. ffs they should all be squad players, pushing for a starting place. Well thats the idea anyhoo

  107. Good point there BB. As Lovenkrands said a week or two ago, new signings should leave their egos at the door and should have to work hard to gain their place in the starting XI. New arrivals should also mean that the current players have to put in the extra effort over pre-season to cement their own place in the team.

  109. oh yea!!! im over the moon we got him!!! brilliant signing next gervihno and well sow just for good luck :P haha i dunno but well if we get more signings of this quality were gonna have good season!!

    Im living in france too :D and well we could have newcastle in playing the in the french squad soon xD with the nzogbia too :)

  111. i still think we shud have a look at jan ‘class’ huntelaar for our striker dept.

  112. as with any of these stories, I will believe it when I see him wearing the shirt!

    although on that basis we have signed Robbie Williams, as he was wearing a training top – sure to keep the hundreds of hormonal great-unwashed at the Stadium of Sh*te happy!

  113. clint,BB,Ben,Worky etc –

    my point with Barton being a squad player is intrinsically linked with the new introduction of Cabaye, without being just that i’ve got a hard on for a New cool sounding dude (even tho i am excited despite never seeing Cabaye play) –

    But u gotta assume that Pards intends to have him as 1st choice alongside Tiote. Yes he’ll have to fight to prove his case as a player, but i’ve every faith he will.

    and if he does, then what? Barton Right Mid? hopefully we’d sign a more natural right winger, and then barton becomes a squad player/perfect sub to fight out the last 20mins of game.

  114. milner,
    i understand what you’re saying mate, cos anyway, Joey will be running his contract down & he won’t be ‘relied upon’ game in, game out, simply because he’ll be leaving at the end of the season, so there’ll be no point us being used to him playing every game.
    Y’get me?

  116. Do you think Barton actually will be allowed to run his contract down?

    What I mean is, do you think his position in the squad will remain tenable in Ashley’s eyes?

  117. Hugh,
    if he’s at the club & AP wants to pick him, why not?
    That’s what i mean though, his game time may be limited anyway.
    Don’t see how ashley can tell AP who to play, i know some will no doubt claim he does, but i doubt it.

  118. I can think of a lot of clubs that’ll want him, some could wait till he’s free, or a promoted team that could be willing to pay a couple million to have that level of experience for their coming season…

    i can almost see him in a swansea shirt…

  119. Clint, I’m not sure AP will get a chance to pick him. If I had to guess I’d say JB will be gone by next season, despite his assertion that he wants to run down his contract.

  120. Well if the club has any sense they will dangle the offer of a new contract infront of Joey, at xmas, incentive to keep pushing himself.
    Well thats what I would do

  121. Will he want to go though, as he won’t ‘have to’, they couldn’t get shot of him when he went down, so it’ll be even harder now.

  123. He’s very hard-nosed mate, so if it’s a battle of wills, it’ll be a canny battle.
    :)

  124. I think with Mehdi Abeid potentially being used as a right winger/attacking Mid (who knows), and the return of Gosling (one hopes), there’s gonna be little space for joey in the team –

    so would he want to play a season as a sub,or as talisman for a lower club?

  125. Whatever happens, it’s gonna be an interesting summer, hey?
    :)

    I reckon a couple of clubs would take him, but not most like.

  126. I think Barton genuinely wants to repay the faith the club have shown in him, I know the red-tops and rags love to see him kicked about as a figure of hate – but with his performances this year you’d struggle to compare him to the clown we initially signed.

    maybe he beat Ashley in the casino? maybe slept with his daughter? whatever it is they seem destined to play hard-ball

    we were a “dead-cert” at one point – he openly stated he wanted to take a paycut to ensure his long term future here

    something doesnt add up…

  127. The thing that doesn’t add up is: why didn’t JB & his agent accept the 2 year deal, then try & negotiate a year or so extension later?
    That would’ve made sense, cos as he went through the first 2 years he could’ve proved his worth & made it a foregone conclusion.
    But hey…Whada y’ gonna do?

    Joey, i’ll sort it for you mate & i’ll charge you & the club less & we’ll all be happy bunnies!
    :)

  128. Barton as a super sub is good. Better than having Smith on the bench that is for sure. Hoping to wake up to official news about Cabaye signing tomorrow!

  129. Alreet folks! I read this blog on a daily (well, hourly) basis, but very rarely comment as I just like to read the banter. Do any of you think Berbatov might be worth a punt? Apparently he’s gonna get show the door at ManUre and, you know, with him being a fan of the Toon and all!! I know he’s older than what we’re reportedly looking at, but I reckon £10-£12 million should be enough to bag a consistent prem striker. Any thoughts?

  130. He would be a great signing but his age is a big factor and I do not see Cashley wanting to bring someone that old.