Cheick Tiote - Arsenal for £15 million?

Agree Anita and Bigi are replacements in the squad for Tiote, when he is injured, rested or let's be honest suspended.
Not because he is leaving.
HTL

 

I think unfortunately in cases like this we have to remember what our transfer policy is at Newcastle and accept that we are unashamedly a selling club.

The golden rule is identifying young talent from the continent at a low price, give them a shop window on a low wage, long contact in the Premier League and sell them at top whack.
If the opportunity to cash in on Tiote and Cabaye comes along at "Andy Carroll money" – which in these cases means £20m+ then they WILL be sold, no question.

Let's face it, the club itself has been advertising these two for most of the summer so it shouldn't come as a massive surprise.

Do I like it or will it please me to see them go? Not at all (especially if somewhere like Spurs) but the club has been proved right in terms of finding these players in the first place and replacing those that have left.
What I would say is that ripping out such an influential midfield (particularly Tiote) will be VERY tough to replace and I can't see us flogging anyone for £20m to then splash £15m on Yann M'Vila as reported today.

It seems more than feasible to me that Anita was promised first team football (as he requested) knowing he was Tiote's replacement, which seems slightly naive given his early showings.
The only shining light is that Bigi looks like he will eventually step up to the plate and at times looks uncannily like Tiote in every aspect – he could be that good.

The saddest part really is that a club in enviable financial state, competitive at the right end of the league, in Europe and with our support/revenue potential isn't now progressive enough to see beyond JUST keeping our best players as a successful transfer window.
This speaks volumes about the real ambition to push on and try to win things – it just isn't of importance to the owner, he isn't emotionally involved in the club at all on that level.

My prediction for the window closing is that we'll sell one of Tiote or Cabaye with no midfield replacement, whilst snatching Andy Carroll back very last minute for a deal that amounts eventually to £12m.
In those terms overall I'd have to say our business this summer has been distinctly average...

 

Really good post 2SS, and l mist admit when put so well your argument is compelling. It is sad to think that this could in fact be Ashley's stance on the club and it's assets. For me l have to hope that this is not the case and that offers for either of Tiote and Cabaye would be rebuffed. Mind you if silly money is offered, l like you think he will sell.
For me the most likely is Cabaye, only because it would be my opinion, for what it's worth, that he may be dispirited by our inability to tie up the Debuchy transfer, seeing it as a lack of ambition from the Board.
This last week is going to be a long one and the rumors will come thick and fast. Nothing to be done but keep the faith and wait and see.
Who knows, maybe no one will go and more could come in, for me l hope it,s Debuchy, then that's both me and Yohan happy.

 

If Tiote was to be sold this late (even for stupid money) it would be the worst piece of transfer business by any team in this window,simple as that for me. He is our most important player (followed closely by HBA) and is pivotal to our game plan. If he was fit against Chelsea I'm convinced we'd have taken a point at least and possibly even won the game.

Everyone knows how good he is, but I think his importance to us is more apparent when he doesn't play (if that makes sense).

 

Yep, makes perfect sense, I have also wondered if we would have given Chelsea a closer run if we'd had more steel in midfield. Tiote would have given us that.

 

Worked ok last season.........................

 

Depth first and foremost I would think. the lad can play in either full back role or DM or CM. He gives us a lot of additional options. Like any club we'll always be vulnerable to silly bids from bigger clubs. We have no right to think we're any different to those around us. The difference is we can suck it better than the clubs around us because we have a better squad of players in terms of overall quality than most.

I'd be loathe to lose Cheik but if someone slaps 20m on the table, what can you do? We'd miss him for sure but people talk like it would break us which is utter horseshite. He was fairly average and injured a lot last year and we finished 5th on merit. We have a very good team and squad, its not based on one player however good he is.

 

Well said Pouchy, would just prefer it if we employed a different strategy this time around!!!

HTL