As the Premier League season began last weekend, Yohan Cabaye lined up in the Premier League after one and a half years in Paris.

He was the star of the Newcastle United midfield during his time in England but the allure of Paris Saint-Germain tempted him back to his native France. Opportunities were hard to come by at such a huge club, and former boss Alan Pardew didn’t hesitate when the chance arose to take Cabaye to Crystal Palace this summer.

The Eagles’ manager is delighted with the signing, and has claimed Cabaye would slot perfectly into Arsène Wenger’s midfield.

“He’s a fantastic player. He’s definitely at the level of Arsenal’s players,” Pardew told the media on Friday. “I don’t think anyone at Arsenal would disagree with that.

“He would get in their team. In the season to come [you can see] how strong the lower Premier League teams are.”

Cabaye was linked with a move to Emirates Stadium in August 2013, and had a £10M bid rejected when Pardew was the Frenchman’s manager on Tyneside. The midfielder has since confessed he wanted the move to happen

Currently, Arsenal have a host of midfield players. Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini are all vying for one of the two central midfield positions, and Mesut Özil will certainly be played in the middle.

Nonetheless the midfield balance has been questioned, and was under further scrutiny following Arsenal’s defeat to West Ham United last Sunday.

Maybe chasing Yohan Cabaye would have been a smart move, but I hope deciding against it doesn’t come back to haunt us on Sunday.