With the Andy Carroll funds nestling in the account, Newcastle will be expected to be one of the busier Premier League clubs in the summer transfer market. Their first foray was a sure-footed one, sealing the transfer of Lille midfielder Johan Cabaye for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £4.5 million.

Cabaye comes fresh from a double-winning season with Lille, boasts Champions League experience and has represented France at almost every level. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was in little doubt that his first signing of the pre-season is one of quality…

“He has a first class pedigree having proved himself at the top level in France, both for his club and the national team. He will add great quality to our squad and I am really looking forward to working with him.”

A tireless midfielder, with pace in his locker, an assured first touch and a handy knack of retaining possession, the 25-year-old will be expected to make the adjustment from Ligue 1 to the Premier League with some ease. His partnership with Cheik Tiote in the middle of the park will be one that has Newcastle fans purring with anticipation. In Fantasy terms however, Cabaye’s talents may struggle to translate to raw returns.

The Statistics

Cabaye’s early career at Lille saw him somewhat shackled by defensive duties, although in the 2007/08 season, he still managed to conjure 7 league goals in 39 appearances. A change of management at Lille for the 2008/09 season saw the arrival of Rudi Garcia who elected to free up Cabaye from tracking back, giving him greater attacking freedom in a playmaker role. Cabaye returned 5 goals in 32 appearances, a hint of what was to come.

The 2009/10 season was arguably he high point of Cabaye’s career in France. Flourishing in a free role, he made 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring 15 goals – a tally boosted by spot-kick duties which saw him convert 7 times from 12-yards. His league statistics showed 13 goals in 32 starts, with 7 assists to his name.

Lille’s double winning season saw Cabaye’s influence in attacking areas diminish somewhat as both Eden Hazard and Gervinho came to the fore in the final third. Despite making 36 league starts, Cabaye returned just two goals but kept his assist tally ticking, setting up 9 goals for team-mates.

A closer look at Cabaye’s statistics last season reveals 89 shots on goal, including 22 on target – a decline from 103 shots and 37 on target achieved in 2009/10 but encouraging nonetheless. Cabaye has a propensity to shoot from range then and can also be an influence from direct free-kicks.

Cabaye’s disciplinary statistics are less appealing. He earned 10 bookings last season, a big jump from the 4 yellow cards received in 2009/10; another 9 bookings in 2008/09 however indicates that Cabaye’s competitiveness and aggression can often translate into cards. When you consider that he will be playing alongside Tiote (14 bookings), Joey Barton (9 bookings) and perhaps Kevin Nolan (10 bookings), that could be a real issue for Alan Pardew’s side and a concern for any Fantasy investors.

The Prospects

Newcastle clearly have themselves a player of some pedigree and one who is set to form an effective engine room partnership with the impressive Tiote. Cabaye himself has given us an effective insight into the qualities he brings to the Magpies midfield…

“I like being on the ball, playing with [the] ball and making lots of passes. I am not a big dribbler, but I like unsettling the opposition with short or long passes. I like going for goal, but I am also a player who knows how to defend and make lots of effort to get the ball back.”

With that in mind, Cabaye’s role is likely to be one of a deep-lying playmaker whose ability to close down opponents could also remove some of the defensive shackles from Tiote’s play. The Frenchman’s Fantasy potential could well be limited however, and is much dependent on the future of Kevin Nolan at the club and the prospect of Cababye putting his expertise from the penalty spot to use.

Nolan is likely to be charged with box-to-box duties and given the license to utilise his proven finishing skills by supporting the centre-forward whenever possible. However, with West Ham boss Sam Allardyce seemingly relentless in his pursuit of his former Bolton skipper, Nolan could well find himself departing St James’s Park. That may well promote Cabaye as a more attacking influence in the Newcastle lineup.

Should Cababye earn spot-kick duties then it’s possible that his Fantasy returns would warrant interest. Right now, those responsibilities lie with Shola Ameobi, although it’s safe to say that he would seem unlikely to earn regular starts in the Magpies lineup next season. Again Nolan and Joey Barton would be factors here, so pre-season spot-kicks will need to be monitored.

Barring injury and suspension, we should see Cababye earn 30+ starts quite comfortably, with around half a dozen assists and a 3-4 goals from open play perhaps a reasonable expectation. A strong influence and an impressive array of passing statistics should also see the Fantasy Premier League Bonus judges smile on him. Those projections may even need to be revised should the pre-season reveal a greater influence for Cabaye in the final third.

Further Reference

Johan Cabeye Wikipedia
Johan Cabeye video profile
Johan Cabaye goals and highlights