We wonder why it is that our best players always seem to want to leave the club these days.

Cheick Tiote – wants to leave Newcastle



We lost Yohan Cabaye and Mathieu Debuchy this year, and we couldn’t persuade Loic Remy to stay with us, and we know that Cheick Tiote was unsettled in the summer, with some Russian clubs after him, and Arsenal were also said to be interested.

Alan Pardew admitted as much last week, and the manager wants to sign him to a new long term contract, but we may have trouble doing that.

The Ivory Coast International has been talking to the press in his home country, and this is some of what he said:

“I want to leave. I’ve spent four years with Newcastle. I think I have reached a stage where it’s maybe time for me to look elsewhere for a new challenge.” “I will focus on upcoming games and let’s see what happens between now and December.” “It is true there were contacts for me from Arsenal and a club in Russia. I’d prefer to stay in England.”

It’s an assumption that he wants to leave in January.

But it seems that Cheick is hinting there that he wants to leave mid-season, but that would be catastrophic for the team, and it seems a club like Arsenal have probably let it be known they are interested in signing him in January.

Last January we sold Yohan Cabaye to PSG and that added to the disarray at the club, and we slumped very badly in those final 20 league games gaining only 16 points.

There is no way we should be letting Cheick Tiote leave the club in January.

The fact that Mike Ashley has played his hand and let everybody know that money is more important than the team at Newcastle is costing Newcastle some good players.

Every player at the club has their price, and that has caused a lot of unrest with top players – that’s simply some of the after-effects of Ashley recklessly selling Yohan Cabaye in January and not replacing him.

In fact Newcastle have still not replaced Cabaye with a creative midfielder.

28 year-old Tiote has played for Newcastle 120 times with one goal, and we bought him from FC Twente in the summer of 2010 for £3.5M.

What do you think?

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