Just what were Newcastle thinking when they let Abdoulaye Faye come to Stoke for a mere £2.25 million back in August.
Faye has so far proved to be an inspired signing by Tony Pulis and must surely go down as one of the signings of the summer, not just by Stoke City but in the entire Premier League.
Faye first caught Stoke's attention during our FA Cup 3rd Round tie against the Magpies at the Britannia Stadium in January, when he produced a superb display to help deny the Potters an FA Cup scalp. It was with this in mind that Potters fans saw him as a excellent capture when Tony Pulis signed the big defender up in the summer as he assembled his squad for the Premier League.
His impact was immediate. After a frail defensive display in our opening game at Bolton, Faye's presence was felt during the home game with Aston Villa, where he marked Gabby Agbonlahor, a striker who had scored a hat-trick the week before, out of the game. Since then Faye has gone from strength to strength and has started to become something of a cult hero among fans, with his tough tackling and frankly faultless displays at the heart of the Potters' defence.
His presence also appears to be bringing out the best in fellow defender Ryan Shawcross, who seems to have stepped up a gear since partnering Faye at centre back.
I wonder if Newcastle are now regretting letting a defender as good as Abdoulaye Faye leave for the Potteries, and replace him with the near £10 million Fabricio Collocini.
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