Former Toon fan favourite Hatem Ben Arfa is on the brink of sealing a surprise move to Tunisian club Esperance de Tunis on a free transfer.
The Frenchman, now 34-years-old, has been without a club since being released by Bordeaux at the end of last season, and a move to Africa would be his SIXTH club since leaving Tyneside in 2014.
Widely tipped as one of France’s brightest ever prospects when he burst into the scene as a 17-year-old at Lyon, Ben Arfa has failed to hit the heights expected of him.
That said, we all know he is capable of pieces of utter brilliance, with Esperance de Tunis reminding us of what he’s capable of via this electric announcement video:
On his day, he really was a joy to watch and one of the most exciting talents I’ve seen at SJP.
He will best be remembered for his time at Newcastle, where he was simply electric under Alan Pardew in the 2011/12 season, helping us achieve a 5th-placed finish – our highest of the Mike Ashley era.
It’s not the move we expected to see him make, but we wish Hatem all the best as he heads out to Africa!
