10 players who cost more than Yohan Cabaye

Newcastle's Yohan Cabaye has had a slow start to the 2012/13 season, but after a Zidane-esque volley against Liverpool the midfielder is starting to show the form from last year that reportedly had Arsenal, United and even Barcelona interested.

At £4.4 million, the 26-year-old is surely Graham Carr's shrewdest signing and you have to ask why Lille let their title winning captain leave for such a modest amount in the summer of 2011. A superb debut season on Tyneside and being arguably the best performer from the doomed France EURO 2012 campaign have further increased his potential value.

With Yann M'Vila suspended by the French football association until after Brazil 2014, and the ensuing absence of Hatem Ben Arfa and Samir Nasri for disciplinarian reasons, Cabaye is fast becoming the first choice midfielder for France under Didier Deschamps.

The midfielder is one of Newcastle's most creative outlets and is one of the most technically gifted players in his position in the Premier League. Just to underline how cheap Cabaye was, here are ten players who cost more than the Frenchman. Are any of them better than Cabaye?

£5 million - Jamie O'Hara

As likeable as Mick McCarthy is, signing O'Hara, who has never looked better than Championship fodder, and Roger Johnson for £7 million are sackable offences. Woeful.

£10 million - Jack Rodwell

Rodwell has made five appearances for City after his surprise switch this summer, and has cost his team a goal on at least two occasions so far. A 40% hit rate.

£6.5 million - Marko Marin 

When Chelsea announced they were signing a young, nimble, technically gifted young German, Marko Marin was probably not the name supporters were hoping for. Commentators in Germany expressed bemusement at the switch and injury has prevented him from proving them right.

£8 million - Charlie Adam

He has a good left peg. But, that is it. £8 million after six good months in a team that was built around you, yet relegated, feel free Liverpool.

£8.5 million - Matt Jarvis

Not strictly the same position as Cabaye, but this is an extortionate amount for a player who's only party piece is running as close to the bye-line and lifting the ball in the box. #englishpremium

£5.8 million - Joey Barton

Pre Graham Carr, Newcastle decided to sell Scott Parker to West Ham for sub £5 million and replace him with Joey Barton. Parker eventually won Football Writers Player of the year. Barton, meanwhile has been farmed out to France.

£20 million - Alberto Aquilani

Aquilani wasn't bad, per se, he just never really got a run of games in England, either because of injury or managers who didn't take a fancy to his lackadaisical Italian stylings.

£12 million - Gareth Barry

Barry earned his move to Manchester City, after nearly replacing Xabi Alonso at Liverpool, on the back of scoring lots of penalties for Aston Villa. His last performance against Ajax, was a reminder of how out of his depth the once 'saviour for England' has fallen.

£6.5 million - Kleberson

No list of midfield flops would be complete without Kleberson, who infamously won a World Cup with Brazil in 2002. People often forget that he helped knock England out in 2002, but a haul of two goals in 20 games for United was deemed a 'flop'.

Newcastle face up to Twitter exodus

Joey Barton looks to be joined by fellow Twitter rebel Jose Enrique out of (Sports Direct) @ St James Park, as Newcastle look set to become the first Premier League club to issue a blanket ban on players using social media.

Newcastle appeared willing to tolerate Barton's 77 day stint in prison in 2008 for punching a man twenty times, after which Barton confessed to being an alcoholic and at a time when several football figures were urging Newcastle to terminate Barton's contract, but drew the line at his latest thinly veiled criticism of the club on Twitter.

Much of the trouble emanating from Newcastle stems from the decision to cash in on Andy Carroll in January for £35 million. Although considered a blow, the deal represented an inflated figure due to the time constraints in last January's window and Liverpool's need to sign a striker. Although following the sale the assertion from Alan Pardew was that all of the money was to be reinvested in the playing squad.

Fast forward six months and to the majority of Newcastle supporters the club has become even weaker, with the popular club captain Kevin Nolan sold to recently relegated West Ham. With Mike Ashley again failing to discuss the club's policy it was left to Pardew to weakly suggest that 'the club' didn't feel that Nolan was worth a new five-year contract at roughly £60,000 a week.

At 29 there is some sense in such a statement and it probably wouldn't have made financial sense to have a player earning such high wages when into his 30s, but a football clubs success is down to far more than being financial astute. Football clubs are no ordinary businesses and the effect of losing the captain and a major character in the Newcastle dressing room, not to mention the effect it has on fans up and down the country, was something that wasn't granted any consideration.

Enrique's criticism of the board for the sales of Nolan and Carroll and subsequent lack of reinvestment last week led to a £100,000 fine. Barton's increasingly vocal discontent also saw him land a two week fine, but Barton was also publicly transfer listed and made available on a free by the Newcastle hierarchy, who were unable to stomach such public dissent.

Rather than rap their player of the year on the knuckles for expressing his mire in 140 characters, Mike Ashley seems willing to take a loss on a player who this window would have been worth a figure of at least £5million and was edging closer to adding to his solitary full England cap.

The fans have fallen alongside the man convicted of assault, with chants of "Ashley, Ashley sign him up" from recent friendlies indicating on whose side the majority of fans appear to be. A further protest against the management at the club looks set for Newcastle's final home friendly against Fiorentina this weekend, where there is a good chance the supporters will be every bit as vocal in their criticism of the upper echelons of the club as social networks have allowed their players to be in recent weeks.