There's always going to be a vocal element of Newcastle fans - particularly on social media - who won't accept that any of the club's sales have ever been replaced. The issue of Andy Carroll's replacement was quickly swallowed into Demba Ba's replacement (without acknowledgement that the latter replaced the former), some will moan that Janmaat isn't the right replacement for Debuchy despite not seeing him play, and more than any other, fans will moan that Yohan Cabaye is yet to be replaced. To be honest, there's probably somebody sitting in the darkest, grumpiest parts of the internet still banging on about how Newcastle never sufficiently replaced Len White. Such is the temperament of the typical football fan. Until someone emerges as a great player for Newcastle, fans are inevitably backward-thinking, because nostalgic love burns brighter than anything a fan can feel in the moment. Which is why Micky Quinn is a legend... But the question of Cabaye has already been answered: okay so it's not true that Cabaye has been replaced position-for-position, because Newcastle will not play the same system as they did with him in the team (aside from when he successfully played number 10) - instead they will look to strengthening the base of midfield (hence the acquisition of Jack Colback) and adding more attacking midfielders to replace the loss of Cabaye's creativity. He might not have been replaced by a clone, but Cabaye's loss to the first team has now been dealt with thanks to the arrival of Remy Cabella. And while that might sound a bold statement, it is one based entirely on facts and stats. And here's why...
