Remy Cabella’s loan move to Olympique de Marseille is to become permanent after the French forward made his twelfth appearance for the Ligue 1 club, triggering a contractual obligation. The Frenchman’s switch to the Stade Velodrome included conditions mirroring those involved in Davide Santon’s January move to Inter Milan and the triggering of a permanent deal means that Newcastle will bank a reported fee of £6miillion.
The lightweight Cabella failed to make an impact on Tyneside following his high-profile £12million transfer from Montpellier in 2014 and the Magpies opted to end the French flop’s brief spell in England by using him as a makeweight in the deal that brought Florian Thauvin to St.James Park in August.
Cash stricken Marseille hoped that a return to the familiar stomping ground of Ligue 1 would help Cabella recapture the sparkling form that convinced United’s chief scout Graham Carr to advocate a big money move for the French international last summer, however, the ailing winger’s turgid form has continued with his new club. The Frenchman’s abject displays have irked the Stade Velodrome crowd and Marseille head coach Michel recently told the disarrayed winger to wake up his ideas or risk facing the drop.
Magpies’ fans will hope that the funds generated by Cabella’s sale are reinvested this January, as Steve McClaren looks to stave off the potential threat of a relegation battle by adding some much-needed quality to his paper-thin squad.
