Cabaye out but De Jong signs on

Luuk de Jong signs on So it's been confirmed now that Yohan Cabaye has signed for Paris Saint-Germain for a fee believed to be in the region of £20 million.

Losing such an influential player is a blow although it has been softened by the arrival of Luuk De Jong who joins the club on an initial loan deal until the end of the season.

The likelihood is that the former FC Twente and Borussia Mönchengladbach forward will be thrown in at the deep end and will make his debut in the Tyne-Wear derby this weekend, especially now Loic Remy is suspended as a result of his red card against Norwich on Tuesday evening.

I'm pleased we've beefed up our attack but then again the success of this deal depends on the detail and whether we get the chance to use the option to sign De Jong at the end of the season. If all goes well, will another club become interested and try to scupper any deal? That's just an example...

Things never worked out for De Jong in Germany as he found his chances restricted. However his goalscoring record in Holland was impressive and if he can recapture that kind of form - the kind which has had us chasing him for some time - then he could be a good signing for us.

The problem with strikers who scored lots in the Eredivisie is that for every Ruud van Nistelrooy who was an astonishing success in England, there is an Afonso Alves who never managed to hit the same goalscoring heights on these shores. Time will tell I guess.

Moving on to Cabaye, I'm sad to see him go but I don't really see how anyone can either be surprised that he has moved on or argue against his move to PSG. They are a rich club so he'll be paid handsomely, will be playing in the capital city of his country just a couple of hours drive away from where he grew up and will be fighting for titles and medals whilst playing in the Champions League under the guidance of a French former playing legend. Not bad really is it?

It's been revealed that there was some form of agreement about letting Cabaye go this winter following a failed move to Arsenal in the summer window. The fact he supposedly went on strike shows he had his eyes on bigger things and has done for some time. Anyone who listened to Joe Kinnear and his "nobody will leave" claptrap deserves to be disappointed in fairness and probably won't go very far in life.

Besides we have little Vurnon who always got looked over in favour of Cabaye despite doing nothing wrong. Perhaps he may get a chance now? Maybe with him and De Jong we are now moving away from France and looking at Holland for transfers?

Ah well, C'est la vie. Or should that be het leven gaat door?