I have been surprised to see that Cabaye has completely failed to make an impact at PSG. In his season-and-a-bit in Paris he has only made 19 starts and seems to have completely failed to dislodge the excellent Marco Verratti from the PSG midfield, and with Rabiot coming through I can imagine those chances are only going to become more and more rare.

 

Our squad this season, while a clear improvement on previous years, has a clear lack of strength in depth for our very best players. In particular, we have absolutely nobody who can even come close to replicating the impact of Fabregas, who has been key to our improved creative abilities (especially in the first half of the season), and our inability to rotate him has led to him looking significantly fatigued since the turn of the year.

 

I think Cabaye could well provide that cover - he is an incisive and reliable passer, a brilliant set piece taker, and is fairly solid defensively for someone who plays his role. In addition, he acquired plenty of experience of the Premier League while at Newcastle and was so good in fact, that he was continuously linked with a move to a Champions League level club (usually Arsenal) while he was there. He's only 29 (which is fine for a player who doesn't really rely on the physical aspect of his game) and considering his lack of gametime at PSG, probably wouldn't cost a great deal.

 

What do you all think?

At 29, I would say no. 

 

Would prefer we went for Milner who would be available on a free transfer and counts as homegrown. 

 

It's no secret we could do with an upgrade in the midfield department and given his performances this season I really wouldn't say no to Southampton's Schneiderlin but apparently he would cost around £30m which is a lot for a player who wouldn't necessarily play each week. 

 

In terms of PSG players, Veratti is the one I would want, he was superb against us in both legs of Champions League, I think he could add a lot to our squad. 

Interesting one. Would've loved to have seen him come to us before we signed Cesc and if he's cheap enough then he's certainly an option. Not homegrown, not young and you're looking at a minimum 3 year contract but he knows the league, has a great set-piece on him and would be a capable deputy for Cesc.

 

Very much on the fence. If we decided to go with what we had or spent bigger on Pogba or even went with youth then I wouldn't feel too disappointed but if we got him for a decent price then I'd be happy. Didn't realise he'd played so little at PSG.

Liked him when he was in Newcastle. I don't really watch PSG's games, and don't really hear much from or about Cabaye. If we looking for a good player in PSG, I'd go for Matuidi.

At 29, I would say no. 

 

Would prefer we went for Milner who would be available on a free transfer and counts as homegrown. 

 

It's no secret we could do with an upgrade in the midfield department and given his performances this season I really wouldn't say no to Southampton's Schneiderlin but apparently he would cost around £30m which is a lot for a player who wouldn't necessarily play each week. 

 

No reason we couldn't get both I suppose considering they both play completely different roles, although it would almost certainly spell the end for Ramires.

 

That would give us a midfield for next season of:

 

Matic, Mikel, Fabregas, Cabaye, Milner (who can also play wide), as well as Aké, Loftus-Cheek, etc.

 

We'd have top-notch cover for both our starters (assuming we're still using Matic-Fabregas) as well as Milner to provide a different option, and considering the outlay it wouldn't rule out us buying someone

ridiculous like Pogba.

 

His being 29 isn't ideal, but he wouldn't be a long-term solution and as far as cover goes he is more than good enough. (Then again Milner is the same age)

Edited March 25, 201511 yr by PloKoon13

I think he's a far better footballer than Milner personally so I'd say yes.

We really lack a player like that when our top 2 are out the team, he's a better option than both Ramires and Mikel so would be a really important part of the squad should he come here.

No reason we couldn't get both I suppose considering they both play completely different roles, although it would almost certainly spell the end for Ramires.

 

That would give us a midfield for next season of:

 

Matic, Mikel, Fabregas, Cabaye, Milner (who can also play wide), as well as Aké, Loftus-Cheek, etc.

 

We'd have top-notch cover for both our starters (assuming we're still using Matic-Fabregas) as well as Milner to provide a different option, and considering the outlay it wouldn't rule out us buying someone

ridiculous like Pogba.

 

His being 29 isn't ideal, but he wouldn't be a long-term solution and as far as cover goes he is more than good enough. (Then again Milner is the same age)

 

I like Cabaye and think he's a decent player but I don't think he is worth selling Ramires for.

 

He was the big fish at Newcastle and did well there but he's moved to a big side and failed to shine... Ironically this kind of links to the Pogba discussion we're having in the other thread. Cabaye being French should be able to give that PSG side some sense of national identity and that can often work in a players favour but he still finds himself marginalized. 

 

Are we really sure that he would be able to elevate himself by joining Chelsea? 

I like Cabaye and think he's a decent player but I don't think he is worth selling Ramires for.

 

He was the big fish at Newcastle and did well there but he's moved to a big side and failed to shine... Ironically this kind of links to the Pogba discussion we're having in the other thread. Cabaye being French should be able to give that PSG side some sense of national identity and that can often work in a players favour but he still finds himself marginalized. 

 

Are we really sure that he would be able to elevate himself by joining Chelsea? 

 

Well Ramires' departure would be contingent on us signing Milner - Cabaye (in my conception at least) would only be signed as cover for Fabregas. If we were to only sign Cabaye and not Milner there would be no reason for Ramires to leave.

 

I haven't seen enough of Cabaye at PSG to judge whether he's performed poorly or whether he's suffering from the same problem as Rémy or Luis - perfectly worthy of starting but simply not being allowed a passage into the first team because the players ahead of him (i.e. Verratti) are so consistently brilliant and never really give Blanc a reason to leave them out of the side. I did find this interview with Cabaye discussing a potential January transfer which I have done my best to translate, it seems to suggest that he doesn't get demoralised from not starting and that he very much enjoys playing with a higher calibre of player, regardless of whether it elevates him or not:

 

"When I come here [PSG] I am delighted. Each time that I join up with the group, we have ten exceptional days from which I profit. My situation with the club [i.e. not starting] is what it is.

 

My future with PSG? It’s a question I’m not really thinking about today. A return to England? Yes, I love England but it’s no surprise that I say that. Today, I am in Paris. It is not in my nature to give up and let it all go. My situation is what it is but you can count on me to give everything and on me not to give up until the very end. I never give up and I will do whatever it takes to earn what I can. We will see but I have no intention of asking for a transfer in January because I am not like that. In any case, I will give everything so I can impose myself on this team. I am motivated for it.

 

Again I don't really think the appeal of Pogba from PSG's perspective which Cox brought up was as much about him being French as it was about him being from Paris. Cabaye is from a town which is about 150 miles away from Paris, which is roughly the same distance as there is between London and Cardiff. I can't imagine part of the appeal of signing Gareth Bale (obviously it's slightly different) is about national pride!

Well, Milner is looking to get more playing time, according to this.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/mar/09/manchester-city-james-milner-spain-italy-end-contract

 

I doubt he's going to get it at the Bridge. I actually think he's an underrated player, and quite useful. Being homegrown and a free agent are both important factors, but him being 29 means he may be past his best, looking for his last big contract and will have no resale value.

Well, Milner is looking to get more playing time, according to this.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/mar/09/manchester-city-james-milner-spain-italy-end-contract

 

I don't think signing Milner and signing Cabaye would be mutually exclusive as they are two remarkably different players - they could theoretically even play in the same midfield, although ideally with a defensive mid behind them.

I don't think signing Milner and signing Cabaye would be mutually exclusive as they are two remarkably different players - they could theoretically even play in the same midfield, although ideally with a defensive mid behind them.

 

I didn't say anything about signing one or the other, but if we're seriously considering this, there are some issues. They're both 29, both are unhappy with the lack of playing time. Would either be a guaranteed starter for us? No. So why bother? If we brought in either or both and they at some point become disgruntled at not playing, we'd be stuck with a couple of 30-year-olds on serious wages and no resale value.

 

But if Milner was OK with being a squad player, I wouldn't mind us getting him for reasons I mentioned in the previous post. In fact, getting guys like Pogba, Bale etc. besides the obvious reasons also helps in the homegrown department, which is a problematic area for us. With Terry a season or two away from retiring, we've got only Cahill left to make up numbers.

I would take him if he's available at right price. He'll definitely improve our midfield and depth. We can even pair him alongside Cesc and Matic going in big games....

As with Moutinho, we missed out on the ideal time to sign him. We should look elsewhere now. 

I didn't say anything about signing one or the other, but if we're seriously considering this, there are some issues. They're both 29, both are unhappy with the lack of playing time. Would either be a guaranteed starter for us? No. So why bother? If we brought in either or both and they at some point become disgruntled at not playing, we'd be stuck with a couple of 30-year-olds on serious wages and no resale value.

 

But if Milner was OK with being a squad player, I wouldn't mind us getting him for reasons I mentioned in the previous post. In fact, getting guys like Pogba, Bale etc. besides the obvious reasons also helps in the homegrown department, which is a problematic area for us. With Terry a season or two away from retiring, we've got only Cahill left to make up numbers.

 

Ah sorry man, I thought you were suggesting him as an alternative.

 

Regarding the wages, according to this (which is admittedly unsourced so I don't know how reliable it is) Cabaye is 'only' on £55k/week, which is the same as Ramires and a relatively low salary by our first team average. We will also be losing a high earner in the summer (Cech), which will hopefully free up some space on the wage bill.

 

According to the interview quoted above, Cabaye doesn't seem to mind not being a guaranteed starter and claims to relish the challenge of trying to break into the first team of a top-level squad. As we have seen this season, Fabregas gets burned out fairly easily so rotating him seems like it would be a good idea, meaning Cabaye would get a decent amount of gametime (especially with the number of fixtures we play every season) and therefore a fair opportunity to stake his claim on a regular starting spot.

 

Therefore in theory he shouldn't get too disgruntled, although there is always the possibility that he didn't really express his true feelings/frustration in the interview, either to avoid pissing off the bosses or to avoid sounding bitter. Admittedly his age isn't ideal, but for a short-term backup I think he would be a great fit, he seems to work fairly hard and shouldn't lose too many of his physical attributes (not that his game is particularly reliant on them) over the space of (what I imagine would be) a three-year deal.

 

I agree that Milner would be a good signing, he's versatile, a good all-rounder, works damn hard on the pitch and crucially (like you said) he's English. He would effectively be a more refined version of Ramires, and only 14 months older. I'd be a bit concerned (definitely more so than with Cabaye) about him not being satisfied with a backup role as there have been plenty of articles speculating that the reason he hasn't yet signed a contract at City is due to a lack of playing time, although none of them actually feature any quotes from Milner himself. That said, I completely agree with you that if he was willing to continue being a squad player (albeit one who was frequently used I would imagine) I would be very happy to have him.

 

Incidentally there's a recent thread about the prospect of signing Milner here.

Great player. I'd imagine we attempted to sign him when he was at Newcastle. We'veIn my personal view I think Oscar would be vulnerable if we signed Cabaye.

For me his incredible lack of consistency, is troubling. I realise his pressing is important but I can't see how that couldn't be covered by a combination of Cabaye, Ramires, Fabregas and Willian.

It's a good idea in my book. Koke would be the dream but he is probably out of reach, Cabaye is a quality player and a practical signing.

Interesting question, not sure we have even been linked with him or Milner but it would not be a bad idea to look in to both of them.

 

Jose does want to give a chance to RLC to break through next year, or so he says, so with that in mind how can we fit signing these two, where Milner certainly wants regular game time, in to our squad and it improve us?

 

In our 4-2-3-1 set up it could be:

 

------Milner/RLC-------Matic/Mikel

 

Cuadrado/Oscar----Cesc/Cabaye------Hazard/Willian

 

In a 4-3-3, which Jose may return to at some point with the right players as options:

 

----------------Matic/Mikel

 

-------Milner/RLC---------Cesc/Cabaye

 

Cuadrado/Oscar--------Hazard/Willian

 

When I look at the balance of the deeper midfield options it seems decent. The creative players may need some work though, but I cannot see Jose parting with Oscar or Willian. Ramires is even a bit of a stretch.

Depends on the price, anything under 10mil might be worth a punt, especially if we ship Ramires and/or Mikel for similar.

Dont mind him provided the price is right, could use some proven expereince right now.

Cabaye for under £10 million would be a decent signing and a good squad player. But would he want to join a team where he isn't going to be first choice ?

No. He's not at the level we need. I don't see him as an upgrade to anybody in our midfield at all.

No. He's not at the level we need. I don't see him as an upgrade to anybody in our midfield at all.

Not sure if serious....

Not sure if serious....

Utterly. He'd be another Rameres who sits on the bench and makes cameos, he certainly wouldn't be a starter.

I dont think we need much of an upgrade in midfield. We just need someone to take the load of Matic or Fab

Utterly. He'd be another Rameres who sits on the bench and makes cameos, he certainly wouldn't be a starter.

 

He's better than any of our other squad players from midfield.

Supposedly Arsenal are interested:

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/yohan-cabaye-back-arsenals-hit-5459340?