Friday 10 July 2015 09:36, UK
With Yohan Cabaye’s transfer from Paris St Germain to Crystal Palace confirmed, Adam Bate examines what the former Newcastle midfielder can bring to his new club and exactly why it will be considered such a coup.
When a new player arrives at a club it’s customary for supporters to consider what he’ll bring to the team. Crystal Palace fans could well be asking a similar but subtly different question regarding Yohan Cabaye: What won’t he bring to this team?
They might remember the performance he served up on his last visit to Selhurst Park. Newcastle were 3-0 winners that day in December 2013 – a result that kept Alan Pardew’s Magpies in the top six and Palace in the drop zone. Cabaye scored the opening goal.
Pardew praised the “functionality” of his team, with one exception. “The bottom line is the player has a true character and he added an x-factor for us today. When you’re at the top of the Premier League you can't stay there unless you have got x-factor and he gives us that.”
Cabaye left for Paris Saint-Germain the following month and life at Newcastle seemed like a slog for Pardew and his players from that point onwards. In Cabaye's final two seasons at St James’ Park, the team’s win percentage was 45 per cent with him and 21 per cent without.
I like him because he gave me confidence to play.
The Frenchman had scored seven goals in 19 games when he walked away midway through that final campaign, a tally surpassed by the end of the season only by Loic Remy at Newcastle - and by nobody at Palace. Despite not firing at PSG, that goalscoring potential is still there. And besides, there’s more to Cabaye’s game.
Pardew has spoken of the need for “mavericks” on the flanks and a “chaos factor” in attack since returning to Palace, but the class of Cabaye in midfield would give the team the calm and control that only quality can bring. It’s a clear upgrade.
But what really stands out about this signing is the virtual absence of risk. Football is full of those surprising transfers that earn the intrigue of the neutral as well as the excitement of the team’s supporters. But rarely can that come with such certainty of success.
Esteban Cambiasso, for all his achievements in the game, arrived at Leicester as a 34-year-old having to adapt to a new league. When Bojan pitched up at Stoke last summer, his undoubted class came with a caveat and questions about whether he would fit in.
Relationship with Pardew
Cabaye is only 29. He has a good relationship with Pardew - “I like him because he gave me confidence to play” – and, importantly, is no luxury player. He can complement Palace’s tough-tackling approach rather than diminish it.
The statistics from Cabaye’s last full season in England are telling. He ranked among the top 10 tacklers that year, alongside the likes of Lucas Leiva and Ramires but not like them. He created more chances for his team than every one of the other nine players on that list.
In fact, Cabaye was among the top dozen midfielders for clear chances created too. He averaged 3.4 tackles per game, while none of the other creative types managed three. He averaged 2.3 interceptions per game, while none of the others managed two.
Put simply, in that 2012/13 season, his tackling statistics were similar to James McArthur, his interceptions in line with Michael Carrick and his chance creation slightly superior to Eden Hazard. Evidently, this is someone who can contribute defensively and offensively.
Palace pessimists looking for a catch might point to a low-key season in the French capital but Cabaye still found himself in France’s starting line-up against Belgium last month. Even in a deal that could eventually total £13m and in this age where re-sale value is king, this looks a savvy signing.
After all, it’s only a little over 18 months since Cabaye last appeared at Selhurst Park. That afternoon he was the catalyst for a performance that saw off a Palace side languishing in the relegation zone, precisely where everyone expected them to be.
Now he’s readying himself to make the ground his home on a three-year deal. Perhaps this should also be seen as a sign of how far Crystal Palace have come rather than wondering how far Yohan Cabaye’s stock has fallen.
