As the transfer window starts to near the close, moves will be coming thick and fast with the inevitable last-moment transfer that could change the entire footballing landscape. However, the free-flowing pockets of PSG have decided to splash some more cash for their club in the hopes that Ligue 1 will not be the only trophy they place into their silverware cabinet at the end of this season. Will Yohan Cabaye be the piece that takes PSG from the top of France to the top of Europe?
From Newcastle’s point of view, the move makes perfect sense. They are already above the probable drop zone for this season and the clubs above them (Everton, Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool) will have Newcastle thinking that they probably cannot do any better than hope for an 8th place finish. So, since their season has already delivered another year in England’s top flight, then Newcastle might as well cash in, right? The 20-25 million Euros that St. James Park will receive by shipping out Cabaye could be reinvested into their squad and might actually make them a better team for it. For Newcastle, this is a win-win. They got some great play from the French international, made five times their original investment from the sale to PSG, and will probably end up with several decent players when they reinvest their money.
From PSG’s point of view, the move will take time before a true decision can be made. It seems a bit unlikely that the Frenchman will be immediately thrust into the starting line-up for a club that already has a fairly deep roster, but stranger things have happened. Cabaye will definitely have to surrender being first-choice from set-pieces with PSG as his new teammates will definitely sit higher in the pecking order. Ibrahimovic is a set-piece master and others like Cavani are starting to show prowess from a dead ball, meaning that this aspect of Cabaye’s game with Newcastle will not be traveling to Paris. Despite the possibility of the negatives, it is very likely that Cabaye could be a PSG success. Any player with Cabaye’s talent that starts getting a better group of players around him should experience a boost in his own form. To put it in a simpler form, however, failing to make a deep Champions League run with his new club will mean that this transfer has not had the desired impact this season. Deep CL run? Transfer success.
From Cabaye’s point of view, he just traded a top-ten EPL side for the strongest side in France. The quick entry back into the CL is also seen as a huge benefit to any player, especially in the lead-up to a World Cup. More money, better club, better exposure…Cabaye will be ecstatic…there is no doubt about this one.
PSG are giants and Cabaye has joined a behemoth already on the trail of success. Time will tell on the success of this transfer as there are still lots of pieces that are yet to fall in this case. If Newcaste’s investments do not pan out and their next season is poor, the regret will be swift. If Cabaye rides the bench for most of his time at PSG, he will still be making millions…a decent trade-off. If PSG miss out on their ultimate prize and Cabaye ends up being nothing more than a benchwarmer, this transfer will show the perils of big January transfers. For everyone involved and those of us lucky enough to watch what happens, we cannot wait to see it unfold!
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