Former Stoke City and Sunderland defender Danny Higginbotham believes Newcastle United have been hit hard by the sale of Yohan Cabaye to PSG.
Higginbotham wrote in The Sentinel: "Newcastle's poor run of results has probably had more to do with them selling such a vital player like Yohan Cabaye to PSG in January.
"Contrast that with the benefits Stoke have reaped by making a signing like Peter Odemwingie at around the same time.
"When you lose a key figure like Cabaye, it really can rock the entire dressing room.
"It doesn't just weaken you as a team, but can also send out all the wrong messages about a club's ambition.
"I remember being at Southampton when they sold James Beattie to Everton around the Christmas time and we ended up getting relegated. It was a huge blow because he was such a talisman for us."
