Pardew taunts Wenger over Cabaye wrangle
LONDON: Alan Pardew has taunted Arsene Wenger by telling him: Keeping Yohan Cabaye was better business than signing Mesut Ozil.
The Newcastle boss blasted Wenger as “disrespectful” after the Arsenal chief tabled a £10mil (RM54mil) bid for French ace Cabaye on the eve of Toon’s season-opener at Manchester City.
Cabaye, 27, went on strike in an attempt to force an Emirates switch.
But the midfielder has since shone again at Newcastle after Wenger ended his chase and instead splashed out £42.5mil (RM230mil) on German star Ozil.
And ahead of today’s clash with the leaders, Pardew said: “It’s no secret to know they were interested in Yohan and in the end they went and bought Ozil.
“That’s been particularly good business for them but a better bit of business has been us keeping Yohan.”
Cabaye has scored in his last threematches to again alert Arsenal ahead of the January window as they look for options to sustain their title hunt.
But Pardew warned suitors – who include Paris St Germain – his international playmaker is priceless.
And the Toon boss insisted Cabaye is better off staying on Tyneside if he wants to play a leading role for Les Bleus in Brazil next summer.
Pardew added: “One newspaper put £22mil (RM119mil) on him this week. I don’t know what another newspaper’s price is, but it isn’t our price.
“We don’t want to sell him. He’s the main man here – he has the platform to be main man at a big club and you don’t always get that.
“He should savour that and take it all the way with France because, if he stays where he is now, he’ll be a major influence at the World Cup.”
Cabaye and his Toon team-mates could not be in better shape going into today’s clash, having won seven of their last nine games.
If Newcastle topple the Gunners at St James’ Park for the first time in eight years, they will go to within three points of the North Londoners.
That could bring Champions League qualification into Pardew’s thinking. — The Sun, London