According to reputable French football source Get French Football News, before he went to Roma on loan on the last day of the transfer window, French defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa almost returned on loan to France. Ultimately, Newcastle's refusal to pay any more than 20% of the players wages while he was out on loan priced both Marseilles and Bordeaux out of moves, and the figure suggested by GFFN puts the 80% the French sides needed to pay 250k. That would mean his entire wage would be 312k a month, or just over £60,000. The reason that revelation - if true - is a shocking one is that it seems to be counter to the suggestion that there is a wage cap in place at St. James' Park, and that nobody is anywhere near earning the amount that supposedly top-earner Fabricio Coloccini is on. The generally held truth is that the captain is on £60,000 as a hang-over from the days before relegation when the club were far happier to hand out gigantic wages. The figure also suggests an initial statement of faith in the player's potential ability, and perhaps his status as Colo's long-term replacement. How things have changed.
