Transfer sagas can quickly turn ugly, as we have seen in the summer window this year, but one situation involving Arsenal almost exploded on the team bus
Those who stamp their feet and throw an almighty strop often get the transfer they want.
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres, Newcastle United’s new recruit Yoane Wissa and, most significantly, Liverpool’s Premier League record signing Alexander Isak, all managed to secure high-profile transfers after going nuclear on their clubs. It wasn’t too long ago that clubs had more control over their players in the window.
In the summer of 2013, Arsenal attempted to lure Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle with a £10million offer. The Gunners’ bid arrived on the eve of Newcastle’s Premier League opener against Manchester City, when Cabaye was still on the team bus.
Alan Pardew, then manager of the Magpies, claimed the now retired ex-midfielder told him he wouldn’t be manning his midfield against the Citizens, leaving the Newcastle boss with no choice but to drop the Frenchman.
Despite Cabaye’s behaviour excluding him from the matchday squad, he lost his transfer battle with the Magpies. They held onto him for the summer before selling him to Paris Saint-Germain the following January.
Reflecting on the incident on Sky Sports, Pardew said: “Well, I had a very unfortunate incident with a player that I loved, and I know he loved me. But he wanted to go to Arsenal, Yohan Cabaye.
“We were travelling to Manchester City and he had a phone call on the bus. He didn’t want to get off the bus, he didn’t want to play. And I was like, ‘You’re taking all of our set plays, you’re doing everything today. I mean literally everything. You can’t let the team down.’
“Obviously, [they were] in his ear and he wanted to force through the move. In the end I had to take him out of the team. It completely put us in a terrible position. I was kind of unforgiving at that point to him.
“There is an interesting point about Cabaye because it just goes to show you the relationship with players and managers. I was just like, ‘I can’t believe you’ve done it.’ And in the end we didn’t let him move, we stood our ground.”
Cabaye, though, has offered his own version of events from the saga previously, claiming Newcastle left him frustrated by shutting down any possibility of a transfer, despite originally assuring him they would consider a move if he desired one. He told Four Four Two: “It was quite close. Arsenal put a bid on the table. The deal [when I signed for Newcastle] was, ‘OK, you come and we’ll see how you adapt. The English market can be quick, and if there’s something, we’ll sit and have a chat.’
“So, OK, that’s fine. It was the first time I was leaving a club, moving from Lille to Newcastle, so I didn’t know about transfers. The fact is, the first season was really good and after that there was Euro 2012, of course, which went well for me. Then there was Arsenal’s interest, and what I didn’t understand was that the club closed the door on it – they didn’t want to have a discussion.
“I asked why, and the answer failed to convince me. I asked them to speak [with Arsenal] and try to come up with a better solution – if there’s no solution, I can understand that, and I’m happy at Newcastle. But I wanted to play for a club with that standard, with all due respect to Newcastle. In the end, they didn’t want to, and that’s life. That was their choice.”
Cabaye downed tools and also sat out the subsequent clash against West Ham in a bid to force through his move to the Emirates Stadium. Whilst he acknowledges he could have managed the situation more professionally, he insists he remained completely devoted to Newcastle once the transfer window shut.
He said: “I felt that someone lied to me. It [going on strike] was a way to express my disagreement – but today, of course, I can say that it wasn’t the right way. After that, I think I showed to everyone that I was fully committed to Newcastle, 100 per cent, and there weren’t any problems at all.”
Cabaye turned out 93 times for the Magpies, netting 18 goals across three campaigns. Following two seasons in France, where he claimed two Ligue 1 crowns, he was recruited by Pardew in 2015 – this time at Crystal Palace, before assisting them in reaching the 2016 FA Cup final. Pardew said: “He sulked for a little while, but then he did get a move – and then of course I re-signed him at Crystal Palace years later!”
Cabaye, who hung up his boots in February 2021 at the age of 35, praised his former manager, saying: “Pardew’s a very good human being. Alan always behaved in the right way towards me.
“Even when he wanted to say that I needed to change or improve something, he did it in the right way. He helped me a lot with my adaptation in England. He taught me how to develop, how to adapt, and he was really important for me. He still is.”
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