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Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa ‘I Am Ready – Forza Roma’

10 years ago
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A transfer fiasco that sums up everything that is wrong with the Newcastle ‘model’ is due to come to its final sorry conclusion today, with Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa due to undertake a medical and complete his transfer to AS Roma.

As a twenty two year old, Mapou captained minnows Montpellier throughout the 2011/12 season to the Ligue One title.

He was a rising star and looked to have a glittering career ahead of him, plus he’d began to establish himself in the French national squad.

Then he moved to Newcastle…

This transfer sums up just how little say Alan Pardew has in the transfer market, the manager having repeatedly said he was going to sign a commanding centre-back and then being given a ball playing central defender instead, by whoever controls the incoming transfers.

A fee of around £7m and Premier League wages, Mapou has hardly been given a chance at centre-back. Pardew has refused to give him any kind of decent run in the centre of defence, clearly not rating Coloccini and Mapou as a partnership, so instead he’s been used as an emergency full-back on both the left and right.

AS Roma are rescuing the defender from his Tyneside nightmare and no surprise that it is Rudi Garcia who is doing the rescuing.

The season before Mapou led Montpellier to the French title, it was Garcia who did the league and cup double with the outstanding team that he had built at Lille, before it was predictably decimated with talented players such as Hazard and Yohan Cabaye moving to England.

In his first season at AS Roma, Garcia has taken the Italian club from 6th to 2nd and from 62 points to 85, in the process guaranteeing Champions League football this season.

Despite Newcastle United and Alan Pardew’s attempts to destroy Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa’s career, Rudi Garcia obviously believes that that talented 22 year old rising star and leader still exists within the shackles and incompetence that have been visited upon the defender at St.James’ Park.

On arrival in Italy, Mapou was met by a posse of journalists and declared;

“I am very happy to arrive in Rome.

“I couldn’t wait to arrive, I have already spoken with Rudi Garcia on the phone.

“I am ready – Forza Roma.”

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, a victim of Ashley & Pardew just like the tens of thousands of us who watch the team, though sadly none of us can ever transfer to another club.

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