Newcastle United transfer coup came cheaper as hopes 2013 mistake can be avoided

A French top-flight title-winning centre-back making a move to Newcastle United - it sounds familiar, doesn't it? A trip back to 2013 will throw up the name of Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa who moved to Tyneside in the winter window but lasted a little over 18 months before being shipped out.

Yanga-Mbiwa had captained Montpellier to the Ligue 1 title in 2011/12 and had built up a reputation as one of the best young central defenders in Europe. Just months before his move to Newcastle, the centre-back had gone on record to speak about links to some of Europe's top clubs such as Barcelona.

It's not too dissimilar to that of Sven Botman - Newcastle's latest signing. Botman helped Lille upset the odds as he played a crucial role in their title win of 2020/21. His performances quickly caught the eye of many scouts around the world - including Newcastle.

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The Magpies fought off some tough competition for Yanga-Mbiwa, who, like Botman, was 22 when he moved to St James' Park. Yanga-Mbiwa struggled to settle and made only 37 appearances before joining up on loan with AS Roma, who he later signed for permanently.

Injuries and the fact Alan Pardew often played him out of position, didn't help Yanga-Mbiwa. So what is different this time? Well, Botman comes in as a towering centre-back and will be played there by Eddie Howe.

But more than that, French Football Expert Jonathan Johnson who works for CBS, feels Botman has more than enough experience to avoid a similar outcome at Newcastle to that of Yanga-Mbwia. Speaking on The Everything is Black and White Podcast, Johnson said: "One thing I would say about Yanga-Mbiwa is that he was definitely a talented player who had a lot of potential but