Alan Pardew experienced his own transfer difficulties as Newcastle United manager.
Alan Pardew has drawn parallels to Yohan Cabaye and Demba Ba when reflecting on Eddie Howe’s current situation at Newcastle United.
A turbulent first few weeks of the transfer window has seen Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali secure swift St James' Park exits. The exodus could continue - with Bruno Guimaraes also keen on joining Arsenal.
Not since the dark days of Mike Ashley have Newcastle been picked off in the transfer market. Pardew managed the Magpies for four years and has opened up about how difficult it can be once the bigger clubs come calling.
Yohan Cabaye and Demba Ba throwback
“When I was at Newcastle, when those big clubs made the call, regardless of what your feelings are or how much you progressed at Newcastle, it's always difficult, particularly for foreign players, to not go with the historical club,” Pardew told talkSPORT. “And they put you under enormous pressure. I remember I had Demba Ba and he wanted to go to Chelsea and he made it very, very clear in a conversation with me that he was going.
“And when I say a conversation, it wasn't a two-way conversation. I didn't really have any input. He literally told me he was going and I knew it would be counterproductive to try and keep him. He was never going to play for me the same way again.
“On the opposite side of it, I said to Cabaye, who wanted to go to Arsenal, that you're staying. He sulked for a long, long period but our relationships stayed pretty strong. There were still moments when he didn't play well, you're half kind of guessing, ‘Was it because I stopped him going?’ So it creates a problem for you.”
‘I feel for Eddie Howe’ - Alan Pardew
Pardew sympathised with Howe but also offered Newcastle some positivity despite losing several key stars. He added: “I feel for Eddie up there, because he lost (Elliot) Anderson because of the rules. He lost a world-class midfield player. Now he's losing the midfield that was possibly the best midfield as a trio in the Premier League, maybe two years ago.
“But I do feel that it was time to break it up. In a way, Eddie is probably going, ‘Ok, let's get the maximum we can for these guys, Tonali, Guimaraes. Let's go and rebuild and try and give us a new, fresher look’. It's kind of a double-edged blade for Eddie. That team did need freshening up. Last year, it looked like it was playing within itself.”
Continue Reading