Taylor: Magpies' French recruits have made instant impact

Taylor: Newcastle's French recruits have made instant impact

Feb 5, 2013 9:00:00 PM

The Newcastle stalwart has praised the influence of the club's new signings, who have helped to inspire the Tyneside club to back-to-back Premier League wins

Steven Taylor has hailed the impact Newcastle's January signings have made in their short time at St James' Park and believes the club have built a team 'for the fans'.

Newcastle brought in five recruits from France's Ligue 1 in last month's window, with Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Yoan Gouffran, Moussa Sissoko and Massadio Haidara all moving to the North-East.

The Magpies have earned consecutive wins against Aston Villa and Chelsea in the past week, with former Toulouse midfielder Sissoko netting twice in the 3-2 win over the European champions, and Taylor - who recently returned from injury - has been quick to praise the contribution made by their Gallic recruits.

"They give it their all, and I think the fans appreciate that," Taylor told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.

"The way Yoan Gouffran chases back is unbelievable. He was so tired after the game. But that's what it's all about - doing everything for the cause.

"I think the boys did that against Chelsea. And we can do it again at Spurs. For me, it was like a breath of fresh air seeing what they're all about on the training ground.

"Even when we went 2-1 down, the winning mentality and the belief was still there. When we got back into the game at 2-2, I thought it would be a draw if I'm honest. Sissoko - the powerhouse - never gave up. He caused them problems all afternoon. It was exciting."

The 27-year-old defender believes the atmosphere inside the ground against Rafa Benitez's side helped turn the tide in their favour, stating that the lift the fans provided played a big part in the win.

He added: "It was just electric from our fans. I hadn't had that feeling in a long time in the last few minutes.

"You heard the roar with everyone behind us. And that kept us going. We've got players coming back from injury. I think it's a good start. We've got a winning mentality back."

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