Blake wanting Cardiff to go for Mo – as Championship clubs monitor midfielder
DIAME INTEREST GROWING
MO Diame’s struggle to get playing time at St James’ Park may lead to the club making him available for transfer in January – and a clutch of Championship clubs are understood to be monitoring his and other Newcastle outcasts’ availability.
Diame has endured a difficult time since moving to Newcastle from Hull but there’s no doubt that he’d have takers if United put him up for sale, as comments from South Wales on Thursday illustrate.
Ex-Cardiff City striker Nathan Blake told Wales Online that Neil Warnock should break the bank to sign Mo Diame, who can have the impact for the Bluebirds that Mousa Dembele has for Tottenham.
In his column he puts forward Diame as the one player that could inspire Cardiff to automatic promotion this season – and has implored the Bluebirds boss to broker a deal for him in the winter window.
Diame’s first start for United this season came at Burnley where he struggled to have an impact on the game – and he has not managed to oust Ayoze Perez from the number 10 role that he occupied for much of last season.
Despite all of that, he was not one of the players that Benitez wanted to sell in the summer and it remains to be seen whether Benitez cashes in in the close season given that he is one of the few players on his books with Premier League experience and who can fill a variety of roles.
He is actually the player with most Premier League goals on his CV in the entire United squad.
Blake told Wales Online: “Cardiff don’t need much, they really don’t. What they do require is something a little unique, someone with that extra quality who can make the difference between the top two and the top six at the end of the season.
“The person who fits that bill for me is Mohamed Diame, who spends far too much of his time at the moment sitting on the bench up at Newcastle United and who must be itching to play regularly in a successful side.
“Diame, for me, is everything the Bluebirds need for the final push under Warnock. Strong, powerful, athletic, experienced and with the know-how of what’s required to go up from the Championship.
“He was a kingpin for Newcastle when they won the title last season, but his game time has been far more limited in the Premier League under Rafa Benitez.
“In fact, Diame has only started one league game this season and that’s a waste of a player of his undoubted ability.
“He ticks all the boxes for me. He could play as the holding midfielder instead of Gunnarsson; he could play next to Gunnarsson, with the energy to go box-to-box. “Or he could play ahead of Gunnarsson, in the more creative number 10 role. He could fulfil any of those functions with equal aplomb. “That’s what I mean by the kind of unique quality Warnock needs to look at.” Blake is convinced Diame would love to play for Warnock. “Make no mistake Diame is a Warnock type of player, too. Leggy, physical, has stature, can be bossy. “Just as Gunnarsson is known as a robust tackler whose creativity is vastly underrated, so Diame is seen as someone with more to his game going forward – but I wouldn’t fancy coming up against him in a challenge. He can crunch with the best of them, trust me. “Perhaps the best analogy would be with Mousa Dembele of Spurs, who is also athletic and powerful, goes box-to-box, but has the vision for a defence-splitting pass. “The vision, but also the ability for the execution of that pass.
“Diame’s wages, of course, may be an issue for the Cardiff hierarchy. But it’s that touch of quality, not quantity, that Warnock needs in January. Cardiff already have the numbers.
“If Warnock’s Bluebirds are still in the top three come the turn of the year, Diame has the ability to push them into the top two. His influence could be that significant.
“I’ve no doubt other clubs are also monitoring Diame’s situation due his lack of action up on Tyneside. But he’s the player I feel Cardiff should go for, on loan if necessary.
“Even if they pay a full transfer fee, Diame would be good enough to justify that by a) helping Cardiff go up and b) being good enough to play for them in the Premier League next season anyway.
“The manager has done an excellent job getting the balance of the squad right, it’s just about supplementing it with the final piece of the jigsaw. “Diame has played under Benitez, Steve Bruce at Hull, Roberto Martinez with Wigan and I’m sure he’d relish the prospect of also linking up with Warnock.
“He may cost, his wages certainly would. But Diame will also be wanting regular football at this stage of his career – and he would be worth his weight in gold if he were to drive the Bluebirds over the
If Cardiff are still in the top three come the turn of the year, Diame has the ability to push them into the top two Nathan Blake