Yohan Cabaye refuses to play for Newcastle, tries to force sale

Since we were all busy with the business of actual games of the sport we like, there was a bit of transfer kerfuffle you may have missed. It seems that Yohan Cabaye saw news of an Arsenal bid for his services, and he's gone rogue. According to various reports, Cabaye refused to play for Newcastle in their 0-0 draw against West Ham in an attempt to try to force the club to sell him for less than the £20 million quoted. Arsenal's alleged bid was £10 million. Alan Pardew called that bid "derisory," which is a thing that I'm starting to get tired of, but that's a whole other thing.

There should be business from us, business that is right for Newcastle where our fans get in a position where they really want to believe in the team. It's difficult at the moment. We have big clubs filling our players with disharmony.

You know, I can stomach a manager who gets angry over things like public statements from players or managers in an attempt to unsettle a player. I'm damn sure able to understand his anger over Cabaye's actions - I'm not a huge fan of them myself. I can even take a little annoyance over a low bid, if you're planning to try to reinvest that money in the squad immediately. But if you're upset with a club for placing a private bid through accepted channels, then I have no sympathy whatsoever.

We need to get ourselves in a position where if he stays, great, and if he doesn't stay we need to get someone equally as good.

That sounds like a manager who's open to deal, and quickly. I like that part. Newcastle have a certain amount of leverage here, because Cabaye still has three years left on his contract. But if they really want a deal fast, and if Cabaye is serious about wanting out, that could temper the Newcastle position. The interest appears to be real, if you look at Arsene Wenger's comments here (now with a ridiculous headline!) and the maelstrom in Newcastle's dressing room. So at least that's something we can all agree on. We'll see if anything comes of it.