Alan Pardew continued his summer rebuilding programme at St James Park with the acquisition of France international Rémy Cabella from HSC Montpellier for a fee reported to be between £7-11 million. He now joins a host of new faces on Tyneside as the club look to restore the foundations of their squad following the departure of key players that have included Yohan Cabaye, Mathieu Debuchy and Loic Remy.
Touted as a “marquee signing” by his new manager, Cabella was quick to pledge his commitment to the Newcastle faithful:
“This is a move that I really wanted to make, as I have heard nothing but good things about Newcastle United from everyone I spoke to…I wanted to join a great English club and that is why I have arrived here. I’m looking forward to pulling on the shirt and playing in this magnificent stadium, and I will give this Club my maximum.”
THE HISTORY
Cabella spent four years as a junior at local club Gazélec Ajaccio before moving to Montpellier’s youth academy at the age of 14. After a year on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, the midfielder made his mark on the domestic scene in 2010/11, when he notched three goals in 17 appearances on loan at AC Arles-Avignon.
Back at his parent club the following season, Cabella became a key man in Montpellier’s historic team of 2011/12, as they went on to record their first and only Ligue 1 crown ahead of big-spending Paris Saint-Germain. He remained on Montpellier’s books for two more years, with then-manager Rolland Courbis establishing a 4-2-3-1 formation with the playmaker as his “number 10”, utilising the youngster’s pace and creativity behind a lone striker. As a result, Cabella accumulated 115 Ligue 1 appearances during spells with Montpellier and Arles-Avignon, scoring 28 goals and providing a further 18, giving him an average goal involvement of one in every 2.5 games in the French top-flight.
In May, Cabella gave life to rumours of a move to the Premier League by declaring his intention to leave Montpellier. Manchester United and Newcastle were thought to be circling in pursuit of the promising attacking midfielder and it was the Magpies who made the decisive move to swoop on his talents.
An accomplished France under-21 international with 17 appearances and four goals to his name, Cabella made his senior international debut on May 27, 2014 as an 80th minute substitute (replacing Yohan Cabaye) in the 4-0 win over friendly Norway; Cabella was subsequently called up to the France World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Clement Grenier.
THE PROSPECTS
Having failed to fill the void left by Cabaye in January, Newcastle finished last season with a whimper. After a promising start, they slid to mid-table obscurity as their Fantasy prospects diminished. However, 2014/15 marks a fresh start and, with a few quality signings in place and a favourable opening spell of fixtures, their assets looks set to make a return to our watchlists, boosted by some very reasonable prices.
Landing in the Premier League off the back of a season which brought 14 goals and seven assists in 37 Ligue 1 appearances (equating to just 1.75 games per strike or assist), Cabella looks a promising prospect as Pardew attempts to improve his side’s record of 43 goals in the last campaign. The Magpies’ boss is clearly delighted with his transfer dealings and outlined his expectations for the new signing:
“I’d like to pay tribute to my staff who worked really hard for this one because he’s a player we think is important…I am just looking forward to seeing an exciting talent in the team and someone who can open the door… He’s a player who has been on our radar for a while. He represents all Newcastle fans love in a player. He has real flair, real hard work, commitment. But he is going to bring a talent to St James’ Park that I hope our fans are going to enjoy. He’s got great ideas when the ball comes to him and, along with Siem [de Jong], is going to improve an area where we definitely needed some help”
Interestingly, Newcastle’s failings in front of goal last season were not for the want of trying. In fact, only Chelsea (5.2), Manchester City (5.4), Liverpool (5.5) and Tottenham (6.1) took fewer minutes to produce an effort on goal on average. The Magpies’ 6.2 minutes per chance bettered the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United (both averaged 6.9 minutes per chance).
Newcastle’s plight ultimately came down to poor conversion rates – be that the quality of chances produced or the precision in despatching those opportunities. Only Norwich (6%) were more wasteful than Pardew’s men, who scored from just 7.4% of their chances created, despite Cabaye’s efforts to boost those figures in the first half of the season (Cabaye converted 11.1% of his opportunities).
Given the recent signing of Siem de Jong, another major coup who also plies his trade as an attacking midfielder, there’s little doubt that he will look to Cabella, along with the Dutchman, to improve the quality of the chances created. The pair should be central to his plans for play in the final third and offer a strong security of start.
As mentioned, the fixtures have also fallen in their favour. While Newcastle begin the season with the unenviable task of welcoming the League Champions to St. James’ Park, they then embark on a tantalising seven game run of favourable match-ups (CPL, sot, HUL, sot, swa, LEI) from Gameweek 2 – tempting our interest in Pardew’s new attacking assets.
However, in Cabella’s case, it’s currently unclear where he will fit into Pardew’s starting XI. Given that De Jong looks the likeliest to be handed the role in “the hole” behind a lone forward, the Frenchman could be shifted to the flank or even fielded in a more restrictive deep-lying playmaker role in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Bearing in mind that De Jong is cheaper in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) at 7.0 to 7.5 (the two are similarly priced in the Sky Sports games at 6.2 and 6.0 respectively) and has notched in each of his pre-season appearances, Cabella, at least initially, faces an uphill task to get himself noticed. He’ll need to hit the ground running and show the promise to outshine his Dutch team-mate before many are likely to risk investment.
Cabella’s arrival sets up a fascinating shoot-out in Pardew’s midfield; a combination that could well be key to our season as the Gameweeks roll by. For now, De Jong will likely remain the weapon of choice but, if Pardew hands him the stage to impress, Cabella has the talent to emerge as more than a short-term differential.
