Mehdi Abeid was so bad last season he was dragged off at half-time in a League Cup tie after the worst performance many of us had seen from a Newcastle player.
As far as some fans were concerned, it was simply "not good enough".
He didn't tackle, track back, or put in the slightest bit of effort, and Pardew was happy to move him on to Greece.
But, despite a healthy season in Greek football, his club said they wouldn't pay a transfer fee for him and he would have to take a drop in wages.
So he returned to Tyneside wondering what would happen next.
Alan Pardew (talking to ITV): "Some things we've done have surprised me.
"Some of the young players have been particularly impressive - Mehdi's (Abeid) two performances at Man City and against Liverpool for example.
"You can't second guess them. On the training ground, you see the potential - I keep mentioning Adam Armstrong, the guy who hasn't really featured yet. You can have a good idea.
"I've been in the game long enough to know that they were going to come - it's when."