Alan Pardew: "Cheick looks ten times better than he did last year, and I absolutely mean that.
"He did not come back well last summer, if I am honest. However, he has summered well this time and is in great physical shape.
"It is going to be a big season for Cheick.
"All my, what I would call big players, are important if we are to progress as a team, and Cheick fails into that category. He is in a good place."