In recent years Newcastle United have started to rival Arsenal in terms of picking up French-African players from Ligue 1 and Aurelien Chedjou is the latest player that the Magpies and the Gunners are set to battle it out for. While Arsene Wenger’s team used to be the club of choice as far as French players are concerned, Alan Pardew’s Newcastle are now starting to take up that mantle and Chedjou may be keen to join his former teammate Yohan Cabaye at St James’ Park.
Aurelien Chedjou, full name Aurelien Bayard Chedjou Fongang, is a 26-year-old centre back who currently plies his trade for the French domestic champions Lille. Chedjou has ten caps for Cameroon under his belt, but this could prove to be more a hindrance in terms of a move to the Premier League than a positive due to the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa next year. However, the 6ft 1in has indicated a willingness to come to England, or at least his agent has.
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Chedjou’s agent Bruno Satin has been talking to Italian football website calciomercatoweb.it and stated: “Lille is doing a little less well than last year so it is likely that after this season he’ll leave the French club. His priority is to go to England. I’m talking to some clubs in the Premier League and we are working for a possible transfer overseas.” Those clubs are thought to be Arsenal and Newcastle, and seeing as Cabaye joined Newcastle when Lille were champions, Chedjou should have no qualms about doing the same with Lille in third position.
Newcastle are desperate for a new centre back in the summer and hopefully Cabaye can put in a good word for the Magpies to Chedjou. However, much could depend on who finishes fourth in the Premier League and takes that all important final Champions League spot. If that’s Arsenal then the Gunners might just have the edge on the late developer who didn’t make his Ligue 1 debut under he was 22-years-old, with the last four years seeing Chedjou develop at a rapid pace.
Look out for Newcastle to be linked with plenty of centre backs between now and the summer, but if you told me that the Magpies are going to sign a 26-year-old African defender who currently plays in France then that definitely wouldn’t surprise me. Newcastle and Arsenal are two possible destinations for Aurelien Chedjou, but Juventus are thought to be sniffing around as well.
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