Former Newcastle Flop On the Move Again

Former Newcastle defender, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, who in January signed a permanent deal with AS Roma, now looks set to be on the move again, with Lyon in "advanced negotiations" for the player.

Reports in France have linked OL with the defender all Summer, and now it looks like the player could finally be on the move.

Jean Michel Aulas, the club’s president, had this to say about the proposed deal:

“The discussions with AS Roma are well advanced. We are waiting to continue to talk with them tomorrow morning (Sunday),” he told reporters.

“It is one of our approaches that really interests us because of the value of the boy who is right footed. International players who have quality and who are available are a rarity.

“Until a deal is wrapped up, we are not going to affirm anything. But we hope to enter into the final stages of negotiations on Monday or Tuesday. A fee of €9m (£6.4m)? It might be a bit more.”

From the perspective of a Newcastle fan, this news does come as a surprise. He made 28 league appearances last term for the Serie A runners up, and featured regularly in Roma’s European campaign, playing up against the best players in the continent.

It was believed that the player was happy in Rome. But a return to France, where he started his career with Montpellier, looks all but inevitable. 

Yanga-Mbiwa certainly split opinion during his time at Newcastle. While many felt he wasn’t given a good enough chance at Newcastle under the questionable man-management of Alan Pardew, others were happy to see the back of him.

Perhaps this move away from Roma serves justify the lack of faith he earnt from Pardew and a sector of the fans during his time at Newcastle.

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