Newcastle United supporters have been starved of quality football in recent seasons but they don’t have to look too far into the past to reminisce over a player who lit up St James’ Park with his genius footballing ability, namely Yohan Cabaye.
Under the tutelage of Alan Pardew, Newcastle secured an impressive 5th place finish in the 2011/12 season, finishing just four points behind Tottenham Hotspur in the final Champions League place.
The mid-season arrival of Papiss Cisse provided Pardew with a devastating attacking outlet who was simply unplayable in his first six months in English football, but it was the finely balanced partnership of Cheik Tiote and Yohan Cabaye in midfield which provided the foundations of a captivating season for the Magpies.
Cabaye was particularly impressive, with his natural ability to dictate proceedings from midfield allowing Newcastle to penetrate the opposition in a manner which struck genuine fear into the opposition.
A natural playmaker blessed with the incisive vision to carve open the opposition at will, Cabaye rapidly endeared himself to the Newcastle supporters after his £4.5 million switch from LOSC Lille in July 2011.
When the season reached its conclusion Cabaye boasted a record of four goals and eight assists from 34 Premier League appearances, including a beautifully taken free-kick during a shock 3-0 win over Manchester United at St James’.
Even after just one season it was glaringly apparent that Newcastle had pulled off a transfer masterstroke by securing Cabaye’s services at such a ludicrously modest price, and the supporters were absolutely delighted by the immediacy and the power of his impact.
But the joy which Cabaye brought to the terraces on Tyneside was short-lived; as many had predicted, the big guns came calling for his services, and the Frenchman simply could not refuse the opportunity to join Paris Saint-Germain and start a new life in the capital.
Cabaye joined PSG in a deal worth £22.5 million in January 2014, which secured Newcastle an £18 million profit on a player who simply excelled during his first stint in English football.
He left Newcastle with a return of 18 goals and 14 assists from 93 appearances and a heroic reputation in the north east, which continues to persist to this very day.
That Mike Ashley was willing to take a chance on Cabaye at just £4.5 million turned out to be a masterstroke worth remembering, as the midfield maestro’s silky ability to dictate tempo and provide a cutting edge in attack does not come around too often at Newcastle.
Jonjo Shelvey is the closest thing Newcastle have had to a replacement since he left the club, but there’s no question Cabaye’s reputation will outlive that of the erratic string puller.
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