Premier League side Newcastle United have become better known in France in recent years, with Gallic talents such as Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye joining the club in recent years along with others such as Sylvain Marveaux, and French-speakers Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse.
The Magpies enjoyed great success last term, with Cabaye and Ben Arfa playing starring roles as they finished 5th in the Premier League table, narrowly missing out on Champions League football on the final day of the campaign.
However, this season has been a different tale, as injuries, increased fixture congestion due to participation in the Europa League, and a lack of squad depth, have seen Alan Pardew’s men fall into a fight against relegation.
Their poor run of form has forced the Newcastle hierarchy to renew their recruitment drive, and return to French shores to replenish the squad with a new host of players from France’s top flight, as Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran and Massadio Haidara all accepted moves to Tyneside.
The signings of Debuchy, which had been mooted since the summer, Yanga-Mbiwa and Sissoko can all be seen as real coups for the Magpies, who acquired the trio for less than £15m. Also, Haidara is seen as one of France’s brightest young talents and should develop into an excellent left-back if nurtured correctly.
Still, this sudden influx led many observers to question whether the side would become unbalanced due to the overwhelming French presence in the squad.
Those fears were quickly allayed however, as Pardew’s charges, led by the performances of the magnificent Sissoko and the energetic Gouffran, have gone on to earn consecutive wins against Aston Villa and Chelsea.
Speaking after the clash with Villa, Pardew praised the spirit within his squad which he believes has helped the recent arrivals bed into the team with relative ease.
He told reporters: “We worked really hard this week on integrating players, they’re not here to save us, they’re here to help us. We had a nice night last night in the hotel, we had a bit of a laugh with the French translation, and you kind of sensed that there was a good feeling amongst them all.”
However, Pardew believes the pace of the Premier League did come as a shock to his new charges in the second half against the relegation-threatened Villans.
He added: “The French boys certainly felt the difference between Premier League and Ligue 1. A team comes out in Ligue 1 2-0 down, they’re going to try and pass through you and create a moment, not in the Premier League, they’re coming at you full steam and we got caught out there. That’s where they have to learn quickly.”
The 51-year-old reserved particular praise for Sissoko following the dramatic 3-2 win over Chelsea. The former Toulouse man has made a fantastic start to his career in the North-East, notching an assist against Villa and scoring twice – including the last minute winner –against the European champions, and the Magpies’ boss was quick to laud the midfielder for his impact.
He told BBC Sport: “We accelerated [the deal] because he was going to come in summer and he’s paid us back handsomely.
“I remember watching him for Toulouse 14 months ago and I thought he is definitely the one for us, if we can get him. We watched him and looked at him for a long time and we’d set our sights on him early, which is a good thing.”
Newcastle’s policy of recruiting players from Ligue 1 appears to once more be having the desired impact, but why do the Magpies continue to do almost all of their business in France instead of looking elsewhere? In a recent interview, Chief Scout Graham Carr explained that the quality of the youth systems in the French top-flight is an overriding factor in their pursuit of the country’s top prospects.
He told L’Equipe: “It is because the French youth academy system is so good. Our aim was to bring in young players with a future, such as Haidara, Sissoko and Yanga-Mbiwa; they are young and will progress even further.
“I love France and the French players. The reasons we are recruiting them is due to having a lot of fun and success working with Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa. They are real quality players, very professional and indispensable today. Both of them are intelligent and understand quickly what you want, they also have a very good tactical brain.
“I’m convinced it will go well and I obviously don’t agree with people who think that this big influx of French players will create a problem. Ben Arfa and Cabaye have integrated really well, as has Sylvain Marveaux, plus all three speak English.”
So it seems the French revolution at St James’ Park is set to continue, and while many Ligue 1 followers may see the mass exodus of so many of its stars as a growing problem for the division, the fact that those who are making the trip across the channel seem to adapting so quickly to life at ‘Le Toon’ should give hope to those hoping to see the national team achieve success at major tournaments once again.
Ed. note: keep an eye on Sammy Ameobi’s twitter feed for a frequently hilarious view of the French Evolution at Newcastle.