Yanga-Mbiwa also skippered former club Montpellier and Alan Pardew is confident the January signing will become a strong voice on and off the pitch now he can speak English.
Alan Pardew: “He’s a leader.
“That hasn’t really came out so far because of the language barrier, but you can see why he has been a captain at other clubs.
“I think he could be an important player for us."
As we all know, Fabricio Coloccini wants to return to Argentina, and Pardew is looking for someone to take the captain's arm-band.
Colo has pledged his future to Newcastle for another year, but it has been a 'cat and mouse' fight for some time and Pardew is looking to the future.
Steven Taylor and Yohan Cabaye fit the bill, but with the Frenchman looking likely to leave this transfer window, he won't be in the frame.