The 25-year-old is away with France at the moment which is probably why there seems to be increased interest in the former “enfant terrible” of French football, and is probably why L’Equipe have been asking him questions.
A lot of faith has been shown in Hatem Ben Arfa. From Mike Ashley to Chris Hughton to Alan Pardew, all have shown faith in him in varying degrees, whether it be by putting an extra arm around him or by opting to still sign him despite suffering an horrific double leg break injury right at the start of his career on Tyneside. That fact is not lost on Hatem who insists he loves the importance he feels on Tyneside.
“I’ve never felt as settled at a club as I do at Newcastle. I feel like I’m somebody important there, it’s a magnificent feeling,” Ben Arfa told L’Equipe.
“I haven’t forgotten the coach made me sign, even though I was only on loan from Marseille and I was injured.”
You see, a bit of faith goes a long way sometimes although it will only get you so far. However that is not to say that Ben Arfa will never move and realistically if certain clubs come calling it is likely he will want to move on, but it will only be if he feels happy with the new club according to the player himself.
“If I do not have a really, really serious proposal, I’ll stay. If a big club comes, but does not propose something interesting – that is to say, the coach really wants me – I’ll stay,” said Ben Arfa.
He added: “If I do not feel the confidence of the [potential interested clubs] coach 100 per cent, I will not leave. Newcastle is a big club, even if there are bigger. I still have a three-year contract.”
Now I know people will latch on to that last bit, and a few websites and newspapers have even seen fit to write their own agenda by only quoting the last part, but realistically isn’t that just what may happen anyway?
As I wrote in thisarticle, we are a stepping stone onto greater things at the moment and if current luminaries of the football world come calling offering Champions League football and/or a pay rise we are going to find it difficult to keep players happy.
People at this point usually single out Tottenham and their approach to Luka Modric, but go on their websites and you will see that they are equally keen to get rid now as they feel that his heart hasn’t been in it over the last season.
The only way we can avoid such a situation is by removing the stepping stones and offering everything a player will ever want here at Newcastle. It may take a while and it may never happen, but it should be fun trying.
If Benny has a good European Championships we might have something to worry about, but until then I think we’ll be fine and we’ll see our number ten lining up for us next season no bother.
Remember, it will have to be a special offer for the player – and the club – to even consider it!
I’m just getting in to the old thread and you hoy another one out, slow down man 😉
Of course he’ll bugga off if a “huge” club comes in, as will the rest, nowt anyone can do about it really. Spurs fecked up royally I think, sort of admire them for making a stand but I reckon they’ll get a good 25% less now than Chelski offered last year…25% is a Papiss Cisse type fee 😯
richietoon(Quote)
This is a snippet from an interview with Carr
“The buzz you get is when you look at someone – and Hatem Ben Arfa is the prime example – and after 20 minutes you are desperate to tell someone at the club that we need to get to this guy before someone else does.
“Hatem did a lot of research of his own, funnily enough. When we spoke to him, he then went away and researched Newcastle on the Internet; what the club was about, what the city was like.
So this tells me Hatem came here because he knew the fans idolized their players when they went out on the park… You can see what it means to him on game day, when his name is getting chanted across the stadium… that’s what he is about…
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
I think most fans have now accepted that if big money comes in, we will sell… In truth, it is what every club does bar none.. O.K spurs hung onto Modric but he was like tits on a bull for most of the season.. I should know because he was in my fantasy team and he got me **** all points
So even though he didn’t leave, he probably should have.. He will go this season anyway..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
So what would Hatem fetch $$$ wise if we were to sell him?
I reckon around 15m would be a fair price??
Saying that Manure just paid a squeak more than that for that Japanese fella from the Bundesliga 17m if I remember correctly..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
I see Richie has done me dry and then got up and left…. 😕
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Think he genuinely likes it here and doesn’t want to leave unless he sees that his career can really advance.
Andymag(Quote)
Aussie – It’s not what he is worth that will be the issue. It’s what the cub decide they want to sell at.
He may only be worth £10m but I’ll bet that the cub wouldn’t accept no less than £15m, in cash, up front.
We sell on our terms 😉
toonsy(Quote)
This is the rest of the article from l’equippe which I located on the French website.
” I will go to a bigger club but only if la Dreamboat follows me. We have become close since his arrival and I’m starting get feelings for him. Funny feelings in the pit of my stomach. Me and La Dreamboat have discussed these feeling in private but have recently agreed to discuss them in the open.
Mr Pardeauw is trying to come to terms with la situation and has disclosed that he also has feelings for la Dreamboat.
We are working thru this situation one day at a time. ” 😯
Mr Pardeauw did make a comment to L’Equippe to say;
” myself, Barfa and la dreamboat are seeking counselling and things are going well for us. We are going to enjoy the Euro’s together and see which one La Dreamboat chooses after that. Ive told la Dreamboat to take his time over the decision. 😯
Let’s hope this gets sorted!!!!!! These are professionals and they should keep their private lives private!! Fizzin! 😡
Troy Stavers(Quote)
On the football side of things, I see every player being in the same boat. Not Dreamboat!.
They probably all enjoy it here after last season and will want to stay but like all players, money talks.
I hope he stays as he’s a crackin player and when he was on form he was mesmerising.
Minimum figure to make it palatable would be £20m.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Re: Post 8 – sh*t Troy that was a lot of typing for minimal laughs 😯 You should really concentrate your efforts on the thing you do best, which is talk about yourself 😆 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Not sure we would get 20m for Hatem to be honest.. but you never know, if he tears it up this coming season, it will be wolves at the door time from other clubs..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Troy ,I agree with you ,he’s worth way more than £15m imo. His main aim is bound to be CL football sooner or later ,but I feel that he will stay for the coming season as I think he may feel he owes us for sticking by him throughout his injury and for the turnaround in his reputation . Even if we get CL football next year he could still go for better wages, as any of them will.
kimtoon(Quote)
Aussie – If that is the case and no other team sees him being worth more than £15m then I doubt we’ll sell. remember, we are apparently “difficult sellers” these days, and the amount we’ve got for players who have left generally seems to back that up, from Carroll right back to the relegations players.
I mean we even managed to recoup nearly what we paid for Obafemi Martins 😯
Mind you, Ashley is a dab hand at tarting up tat and shifting it on 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy 😆
I agree, I don’t think we will sell him either.. I think our evaluation will exceed any realistic bid. Which is good for us..
However if he puts in a transfer request to push a move to a “bigger club” then that is a whole different kettle of fish!! This is how he will leave when the time comes I reckon.. 😕
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
@aussie
I’m still laughing at my own joke! 😆
Mind, I reckon you have a funny feeling in the pit of your stomach when you think of Dreamboat Richie. 😳
Troy Stavers(Quote)
For teams like Newcastle, the relative success ebbs and flows, comes and goes. I personally loved last season, because of what we achieved, absolutely IMMENSE in my opinion.
I reckon the main man next season will undoubtedly be Alan Pardew, and the way that he manages to control the egos and demands of the “star” players in the dressing room. Last season the club did a FANTASTIC job of assembling a great team from a bunch of individuals, mainly foreign, who needed to be integrated into the English way. No-one could have expected that we would do so well. However, the new upcoming season will be difficult, because we have now raised the expectations of everyone at the club, and all of our players are now in the spotlight. It can all go tits up if Pardew and the club fail to get the balance right. A major factor being strengthening the team in the right positions, and showing our “star” players that we mean business. If we don’t match their ambitions, then they’ll be off, it’s human nature, and a footballers career is short anyway..
Munich Mag(Quote)
Troy, you sound jealous mate… Has Pootle broken up with you 😆 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
If Hatem Ben Arfa keeps his head right, and continues to improve and gain strength, I reckon he can be a 15 million quid player. Not sure if he or any of our other francophile players will stick around more than 2-3 seasons anyway.
Now wor two Argies, they are something special….both Geordie legends imo, for their loyalty alone… 😀
Munich Mag(Quote)
Troy, you need to get yerself one of those Greek gladiator helmets like we saw yesterday on the tele. You’d look the dogs bollocks on the Quayside sporting that in yer Les Kellet gold lame jockeys…
Munich Mag(Quote)
German media reporting Manure have bid 35 million euros for Modric.
Munich Mag(Quote)
same as the pommie and aussie media Munich…. 😉
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
On a serious note. Did Pardew say that we would make early signings? I’m sure I heard it .
Troy Stavers(Quote)
yeah he did Troy…..
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Troy…I’m way out of Aussie’s league and he knows it….doesn’t stop him trying though 😉
Haven’t we already had an early signing then?…..of course if we sign them at the start of next month they’ll still count as early signings as that’s when the window “officially” opens.
richietoon(Quote)
There’s been some crossed wires on all the talk of the Toon signing Anita from Ajax. Ajax have a tea lady who is also called Anita.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
Troy – He did, but then he also said it might not happen. Very diplomatic is Alan 😉
End of the day you just have to look around at the level of transfer activity elsewhere to realise that nothing is going to happen any time soon. It’s not like other clubs are making swathes of signing whilst we dither, nobody is signing and that will continue until the end of the European Championships IMO
toonsy(Quote)
Also Richie makes a good point. We’ve signed one and the window isn’t even open yet officially. Still 23 days to go 😛
toonsy(Quote)
B&B…whey the Toon’s tealady is knocking on a bit so maybe they’re bringing her in to be groomed to take over?
richietoon(Quote)
Reet…one is off to the beach club to watch wor lass teach a fitness class, dark glasses on so she can’t see where me eyes are pointing 😎
richietoon(Quote)
Richie – Ashley wants his tea ladies to be under 40 and have a lot of potential. He will also be looking for a sell on fee before they are 50. The last thing he wants is for them to retire and for him to get nowt.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
I’ve actually heard she’s been offered an eight year deal. Apparently it is another one spotted by Graham Carr. I do think she will be a great addition to the back room staff. Fair play to Ashley for looking to the future and getting things right both on and off the pitch.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
There is gonna be swathe of transfer dealings as the European Championships come to an end. That will then govern what the toon do in the transfer market…
Munich Mag(Quote)
richietoon@29…divvent worry, your lass knows where your eyes are pointing mate… 🙄
Munich Mag(Quote)
Rich, you are a tad ‘Rubenesque’ for my taste mate 🙂 🙂
aussie magpie fan(Quote)
Some of the main targets like Yanga Mbiwa/Pieters were left out of their euro squads so they could move while the rest are watching the tournament like they are doing with this anita lad who was dropped from the provisional dutch squad.
From what ive seen he would fit the bill, Tidy on the ball, can cover fullback and would sit in midfield with tiote and allow Cabaye to get forward like he did in the stoke match when he was immense…
CC(Quote)
we are hard sellers dont know about that its relative,a keeper 2mil a striker 2mil to celtic,burnley selling striker 7mil cheltingham selling keeper 6mil,neither has PL ex 😕
icedog(Quote)
Ice – True, although having seen Forster play I reckon at £2m we’re pulling Celtic’s pants down 😉
toonsy(Quote)
CC – That’s true, but then the players themselves may also be waiting to see what happens? Why move now when something better may come along in a few weeks time?
toonsy(Quote)
Aye suppose so, But if thats their attitude do we want them anyway ?? 😉
CC(Quote)
TOONSY cannot comment on forster as i havent seem him play for a couple of seasons,thought maybe he might have improved a bit, hard to improve in the SPL like 🙁
icedog(Quote)
Toonsy, is Foster really so bad ? Sellick have just walked the scottish league and Foster played a big part in that apparently.
Munich Mag(Quote)
I suppose we need to see what the celtic bloggers make of him, they are the ones who really know…
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM – Yeah, but then again isn’t it easy to look good when you have pish strikers shooting at you for 32 out of 38 games? 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Strange as he is a fellow Hexham lad, but all he is is big really. Thought he would improve but I really don;t think he has. Does some good saves but also has some howlers.
toonsy(Quote)
He’d be sitting on our bench if he was any good… end of storey for me..
aussie magpie fan(Quote)
“Does some good saves but also has some howlers.”….stereotypical Jock goalie…. not good. 🙄
He aint gonna get past wor Timmy any time soon I’m afraid. Can see him being constantly on loan at Cellic until his contract runs down and they can get him for nowt… I hope the toon are gonna block a further loan to Cellic and issue them with some kind of ultimatum…
Munich Mag(Quote)