Since it was revealed that Yohan Cabaye wasn't in PSG's plans, and could leave in the winter window after what now looks a disastrous move to France last year, the media has inevitably responded by either questioning whether he'll be back at Newcastle or insisting why he definitely should be. Neither of those things matter particularly, as Cabaye saw Newcastle as little more than a stepping stone: something he was probably welcomed to do by the club looking to sign a bargain whose value would only go up. And he won't go back. There's no need to go back anyway, since he'll probably see suitors from higher in the Premier League, who are more likely to pay the still high transfer fee PSG are bound to ask for. After all, Newcastle have reinvested the funds they got in selling him, and he's now less likely to generate a profit in the future, so the chance of them sanctioning a bigger money move at this stage is slim to none. So now, inevitably people are starting to talk about who we'd get instead: who could fill the Cabaye shaped hole that is still being insisted exists in the team (even though we don't play the same system anymore). Some have suggested Clement Grenier - who fundamentally is not in the mould of his compatriot, and is more like Remy Cabella than anyone else. Others talk of other names, but none will matter in the end. Newcastle are not looking for a replacement for Cabaye: they have the creative player they sought in Cabella, and they have the added goals of Siem De Jong. That neither of those things have paid off yet is no reflection on the longer term plan, and abandoning that all of a sudden because the fans want a player who actively campaigned to leave TWICE would be ridiculous. Yes it would be nice to have the France international back, but putting him in the team would wipe out the natural width the team has played with so well, unless he was fundamentally asked to change the way he plays. And despite having a disaster at PSG, Cabaye is still the kind of player who shouldn't have to make those compromises to play for a club so far stepped down from where he is and where he aspires to be. So maybe stop wishing for things that aren't going to happen, and you won't have ammunition to criticise the club as much...
