With the January transfer window just over a month away, Newcastle United are now seemingly eyeing up their targets and manager Alan Pardew is keen to raid the French market once again. This time Newcastle are being linked with two Montpellier players Olivier Giroud and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, with the former a striker while the latter is a defender. So, would this Montpellier pair be just the ticket for the Toon?
What do we know about Giroud and Yanga-Mbiwa? Let’s start with Olivier Giroud; the 25-year-old striker scored a hat-trick when the Newcastle scouts went over to watch him at the weekend against Sochaux, which can only have impressed them. Giroud has two caps for France to his name, making his debut against the USA earlier this month. This was reward for the 23 league goals he has scored in just over 50 appearances since he joined Montpellier in 2010.
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At over 6ft 3in tall, Giroud would provide a presence up front for Newcastle, but unsurprisingly he isn’t going unnoticed this side of the channel. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is also thought to be interested as he looks for some back-up for striker of the moment Robin van Persie. It is also being reported that Giroud has even been offered to Newcastle, but with a deal thought to be all but tied up for Modibo Maiga, a move for the Frenchman might not be such a priority.
The Stade de la Mosson has been a regular hunting ground for the Newcastle scouts, with the second Montpellier man on their radar being Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. My man in Montpellier describes Yanga-Mbiwa as a big, strong and really, really fast defender who is in many ways comparable to Manchester City right back Micah Richards. He also likes to go marauding from time to time, and Champions League football is on the horizon for the forward thinking defender sooner rather than later.
Investment in defensive cover is a must for Newcastle as Davide Santon aside, the bench is looking very weak in that area. At 22 years of age, Yanga-Mbiwa fits Newcastle’s transfer policy as well, and already has almost 150 games under his belt for Montpellier who might be unwilling to sell. However, if the Magpies are to raid the Ligue 1 club, I would think that Yanga-Mbiwa would be a more realistic target than Giroud, but a double swoop isn’t out of the question!
