Newcastle Transfers: 10 Signs Remy Cabella Is Perfect Cabaye Replacement

3. 2019

Otherwise Known As: His number of touches In the opposition's half. Impressively, Cabella had more touches in the opposition half than any other player in Ligue 1 last season, including the likes of Valbuena, Rodriguez and Ibrahimovic - all of whom would or have commanded astronomical fees. Try telling Zlatan Ibrahimovic that someone else in his division was more important to their team than he was to PSG last season - that reaction would be testament to how important Cabella can be in the most important part of the pitch. Newcastle's best attacking sides have always had an outlet to pass to, and regardless of how obvious Pardew's commitment to the Team Ethos is - and how uncomfortable his scapegoating of Ben Arfa for some - there has to be balance between order and a creative spark. Cabella has already attracted comparisons to David Ginola, and though the physicalities are all wrong (he runs far more like Cristiano Ronaldo) the spirit is correct. Just as Newcastle looked to Ginola in the Entertainers era to create something, the stats from last season suggest that Cabella's thirst for the ball will put him in a similar position. One of the big issues when Cabaye left last season was that there was nobody coming to get the ball - no playmaker willing to touch the ball as much as possible - and while Cheick Tiote was among the league's hottest passers, he wasn't in the opposition half enough, harrying for the ball and creating a second phase that could lead to attacks as Cabaye had. By the sound of it, that is precisely what Cabella will offer.