Archive for tag: Kevin Nolan’s transfer to West Ham.

Could Blaise Matuidi be the sweetener after Nolan’s departure?

June 16th, 2011 | 33 Comments |

Blaise Matuidi - Newcastle United target?
Blaise Matuidi (no relation to Cheryl)
Could the sweetener for Kevin Nolan’s departure from Newcastle United come in the shape of Blaise Matuidi?

Well, it was quite a day yesterday wasn’t it? What with the big news that Kevin Nolan is most likely on his way to West Ham, the implications of which I’ll talk about in a later post.

Fortunately a change in medication meant I slept through a lot of yesterday but it was a bit of a shock to the system to wake up and find that our Captain’s off and a Mount Etna of fan opinion has ensued as a result.

There were rumblings in the French press yesterday – before the Nolan news broke – about Newcastle’s potential interest in Blaise Matuidi, a 24 year-old Angolan-French midfielder who currently plays for Saint-Étienne.

Matuidi is apparently a defensive midfielder and ‘deep-lying playmaker’ who has played all his football in France, first for Troyes and then for Saint-Étienne, scoring 7 goals in 209 appearances. He also has three senior caps for France. (more…)