Newcastle on alert with Man Utd and Chelsea sniffing around Cabaye and Tiote
Newcastle United are facing a fight to hang onto Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye after it emerged Chelsea and Manchester United have been watching the pair.
The midfield duo starred for the Magpies in their opening day win against Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park carrying on the form that brought them to prominence in England.
Manager Alan Pardew is aware of interest in the duo and is bracing himself for a nervous final fortnight of the transfer window as he battles to hang on to his star performers.
“We are on our guard in case some really big bid comes in and we need to react because if someone goes out, another player will come in,’ he said.
“But success for me in this transfer window would be losing none of our stars.”
Sir Alex Ferguson is desperate to freshen up his midfield this summer reportedly had French international Cabaye watched numerous times last season and is said to be considering a bid.
Meanwhile, Roberto Di Matteo is keeping his eye on Tiote with a view to bringing him to Stamford Bridge as he prepares his squad for a Premier League title challenge.
“It’s a team thing and we are not Arsenal, Man United or Chelsea. We are Newcastle, so if we can keep our best players then it will be good for this club.
“Had we lost two or three key players then it would be difficult to do the same as last season. It’s good for the Newcastle family going forward.
“This season will be bigger than last season. We did great last season and everyone is waiting to see how we will do. It will be hard but we are all ready for this season and for the first game against Spurs.
“The team spirit here is great. That’s what helped us have such a good season. We still have that spirit going into this season.”
