It seems that Arsenal are taking the calls to sign players by the end of the summer transfer window very seriously, and have turned their attentions to Yohan Cabaye, the French midfielder from Newcastle who has been linked to a move away from the club for the last couple of seasons. The bid (worth £10 million) was rejected by Newcastle.
According to Sky Sports, Arsenal have made a bid for Cabaye, who has been with Newcastle for the last couple of seasons. He had a very strong debut season for Newcaslte in 2011-2012, but like the entire team, faltered and disappointed in 2012-2013 as Newcastle spent most of the season quite close to the relegation zone.
Arsenal have been criticized all summer for not adding anyone to a roster that wasn’t too far from losing its consistent spot in the champions league, and especially for their lack of a world class striker and a dominant defensive midfielder. Cabaye is neither, but considering their injury problems and their lack of decisiveness and directness in the midfield, maybe Cabaye is simply a player that in the very short run can actually help.
While Arsenal have been drawing criticism from about every direction, Newcastle haven’t done much better by appointing Joe Kinnear to the football director position, which has led to some cruel joking at his and their expense, which included referring to Cabaye as “Kebab” while taking pride in his ability to handle his new position.
Cabaye is valued at £14 million, while Newcastle spent only £4.4 million to sign him from Lille in 2011. Arsenal might have to pay a little bit extra to his value because it seems everyone knows that they’re getting more and more desperate to get a meaningful signing. In Cabaye’s case, it seems more like a player with a name that will satisfy fans, but less of a player that actually fills a need for Arsenal at the moment.