Yohan Cabaye interview: Nothing will prepare PSG for what Newcastle will throw at us

Paris Saint-Germain have had some big European nights, they have played in the Champions League final, they have their own fanatical ‘ultras’ to deal with but nothing will have prepared them for the black-and-white hot atmosphere when they face Newcastle United.

Who says so? One of their own. Yohan Cabaye will be part of the PSG entourage at St James’ Park but is also, of course, a former Newcastle midfielder having played a key role in their fifth-place finish in the Premier League in 2012 under Alan Pardew.

Cabaye is now assistant director of PSG’s youth academy and he rubs his arm as he thinks about playing under the lights in front of a full house. “I have chicken skin,” he says. “Goosebumps? Yeah … I can’t wait to go back. My colleagues from Paris, they don’t know about the atmosphere and for sure it will be one of the best nights ever in Europe.”

The “chicken skin” is also in memory of one of Cabaye’s most famous moments in a Newcastle shirt when he scored a superb free-kick in a thumping 3-0 win over Manchester United. “Sometimes I put it on TV for my son just to show him!” Cabaye jokes.

That season was Newcastle’s most successful in the past 20 years until Eddie Howe led them back into the Champions League. “I am glad to see Newcastle at the top in Europe and in England,” Cabaye says. “I can see that the new ownership is working well. I had the chance to meet Dan [Ashworth, sporting director] at the draw in Monaco and we talked a little bit together. I know he is someone with very good qualities and I know they are in the right way.

“It would have been easy to spend money after money after players after players and have players who don’t fit into the project. They are doing well and I am so glad to see St James’ [with] 52,000 every game, screaming.”

It is a far cry from 2012 when Newcastle failed to invest and yet still reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League under manager Pardew. The following summer Cabaye tried to force his way out, amid interest from Arsenal, and would not play in a fixture against Manchester City.

Newcastle refused to sell – Cabaye accused them of reneging on a gentleman’s agreement they had – and Pardew rehabilitated him into the team before he was eventually sold to PSG the following January.

Cabaye, now 37, is sure there is no ill feeling towards him from Newcastle fans. “No, I think the reception will be good, will be very good, because I am receiving a lot of messages on social media and they are all kind, all happy to see PSG coming to town,” he says, having previously returned as a player when he joined Crystal Palace, again under Pardew.

Would Cabaye have been more prepared to stay with this version of Newcastle rather than move to PSG?

“For me, the question is hard,” Cabaye says. “To go back to France after Newcastle it was to play for the best team in France and one of the best in Europe. It’s hard to compare those two projects. But what I want to say is I am glad to see Newcastle and those stripes do really good things.”

Given Newcastle’s size and the financial backing they can now call on there is the prospect of them joining Europe’s elite and becoming a real threat to clubs such as PSG.

“If they want to be a big club in Europe they have to play in Europe every season to have experience and also to have the chance to bring more players, better players and improve the squad season after season,” Cabaye says. “But they have the potential for it, for sure.”

Cabaye’s own ambitions are clear. He does not want to coach or manage. He wants to be a sporting director which is why he is learning the ropes, starting with PSG’s academy. “Because it’s more suitable for me,” he explains. “I like to be involved with the strategy and work closely with the coach and create that team spirit. Maybe it was the same when I was a player. I tried to do my best for the team and played for my team-mates also. It’s a kind of a good recognition for a second career. I would like to be a sports director because it’s the role I enjoy the most.”

At PSG, where a €300 million (£260.4 million) new training ground has recently opened, there has been a huge debate in the past about allowing young talent from Paris to slip through their fingers. The French capital is, along with Sao Paulo in Brazil, the biggest breeding ground for professional footballers and PSG are determined to make sure they retain the best local players.

There has also been a palpable shift in recruitment with the departures of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Sergio Ramos and a move towards signing younger, largely French players such as Randal Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola.

The poster boy is 17-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery, who already captains France Under-21s. Cabaye is generous in his praise of the midfielder who is expected to face Newcastle. “He’s just a complete player for me and don’t forget about his age,” Cabaye says. “At 17 to do what he is doing I don’t think too many players can do that. Last season I was thinking ‘OK, you can throw him on the field and he will adapt.’ He will be good, he will deliver and he can play in any team.”

Asked whether he had prepared PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi for the intense atmosphere inside St James’ Park, Cabaye laughed and said: “No. I will let him discover the surprise.”