Toon target Europe within a year according to new signing

Posted on June 13th, 2011 | 8 Comments |

Cabaye says Newcastle United are targeting Europe within a year.
Europe in a year?
New Newcastle United midfield Yohan Cabaye talks about Europe and how other new recruits will be joining him during this transfer window.

New recruit Yohan Cabaye seems generally impressed with things at Newcastle and hopes we’ll be in Europe within a year. In a recent interview he said:

“I am going to play in the best championship in the world for a club who want to get back into Europe within a year and one who are building an ambitious team.”

He is talking about Newcastle isn’t he? Just thought I’d check.

He then goes on to suggest that he’s just the first of many signings the club has planned for this transfer window, saying:

“I am the first recruit but I have discussed things with manager Alan Pardew and I know others will follow. The directors have assured me on this point.“

As has been mentioned elsewhere, he sought advice from Charles N’Zogbia about his move to Newcastle. Cabaye said:

“I spoke to Charles N’Zogbia and he told me I had made a good choice.”

It’s the sort of statement that might be a portent to the Zog coming to our club himself. He has indicated his desire to do so, although Dave Whelan is making things difficult for Newcastle at the moment in terms of a transfer.

Apologies for my sarcasm earlier about the Europe bit but I think getting there at all is no mean feat, let alone within a year. With wise investment and good management we can no doubt get up amongst the European challengers but we’ll need to compete against extremely well-funded teams like Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea as well as a sort of ‘second tier’ of Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs.

I’m not saying it’s impossible, I just don’t think we should underestimate the scale of the task and build up too many false expectations too soon.

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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8 Responses

  1. “I am the first recruit but I have discussed things with manager Alan Pardew and I know others will follow. The directors have assured me on this point.“

    Does he not know NUFC directors – Bloody clowns and muppets

  2. Well those teams are well funded but I read somewhere a few weeks back that Ashley was willing to bankroll the club to get into Europe next season, so maybe all this talk of these players coming to the Toon this summer isn’t just crap-loid rubbish & that Ashley is adding some of his own money into the summer pot for transfers, so that we can maybe knock some of the second-tier teams like the Spurts out of the running… you never know, we may even get there via a cup final.. :)

  3. At the moment with 2 or 3 new signings I can easily see us going for Europe. . . Bring in hopefully 2 new strikers, Gomez would be a dream but very VERY unlikely!!! But with the Zog, Ba and hopefully another 1 or 2 internationals. . . What ever happened to that striker from Egypt (Shikabala I think it was)??? He looked really good!!!

  4. Toon69 says:

    “I read somewhere a few weeks back that Ashley was willing to bankroll the club to get into Europe next season”

    You werent dreaming by any chance Toon69 ?

  5. While I’d like this to be true, I’ll believe it when I see it.

    This sounds like promises made to secure a player who maybe would be reluctant to sign otherwise. After all, he left a club that had just qualified for the champions league to join us.

    It’s definitely something to aim for, and something I’d love to see, but I think the team will need a bigger investment to get there than the board will be willing to put in.

    Maybe over the next couple of years

  6. scott…there doesn’t seem a hint of reluctance about Cabaye’s decision to sign for the toon.

  7. Not outwardly maybe, but who ever knows what a club tells a player to grease the wheels a bit?

    I’m chuffed we’ve got him as he looks a quality buy, but I’m now a little concerned that if the club are telling prospective recruits we will be in Europe in a year, that there’ll be disgruntled players in the squad if/when it doesn’t happen. As I said before, I think were quite a way off challenging for Europe at the minute

  8. It’ still on the job training for Ashley and he is now on a different tack.
    Where as he began thinking he could sign teenyboppers (for nowt)who appeared to have the skills to eventually become quality players, n’ sell em at a profit.
    With only N’Zogbia filling that role, it’s ironic we are now the club paying through the nose for him, great management!
    To-days plan is to get em a bit older, only before they are fully developed stars, get good use out of them and eventually replace them with more of the same, while making a profit in doing so .
    Hey sounds like a great plan, but we all know about “the best laid plans”
    As i said it’s one thing to set out a plan, another to impliment it and certainly when one looks at the rigidity, a salary and age cap etc.
    Though certainly not opposed to major changes to improve a mediocre side, i think it’s a tall order to completely revamp a side during one window period.
    Yes we have started early and agressivly to recruit, but can we be successful in getting our main targets to sign?
    It’s going to be an interesting summer and it’s by no means a bad thing for the club to be showing a bit of early ambition, which could be good publicity in attracting quality players to St. James’s.