12 Newcastle Successes (And 12 Failures) Scouted By Graham Carr

Graham Carr's Transfer Successes...

12. Hatem Ben Arfa

Signed: 2010 (from Marseille) Transfer Fee: £5 million (initially signed on a £1 million season-long loan) Position: Playmaker/Winger/Attacking-Midfielder Newcastle United Appearances: 86 (2010-14) Newcastle United Goals: 14 Current Club: Nice

The Magpies' relationship with Ben Arfa may have ended in bitter divorce - but it certainly didn't start that way. Initially signed on a season-long loan from Marseille in 2010, the five-time Ligue 1 winner scored a belter away at Everton before having his campaign wrecked by Nigel de Jong just four games in - yet the Magpies still parted with £5 million to secure his services permanently. A star during the 2011-12 campaign, Ben Arfa scored 14 goals in 86 appearances for Newcastle during his time on Tyneside and, although he was frustratingly inconsistent, he could be a matchwinner on his day. His lack of professionalism and poor fitness saw him fall out of favour and sent out on loan to Hull City in the summer of 2014, before his contract was cancelled six months later, but Carr's signing of Ben Arfa did prove to be a success. It must be noted, however, that Ben Arfa was a "wonderkid" in France and had already been on the scene for six years across the Channel before the Magpies signed him, so he cannot exactly be said to have been uncovered by Newcastle's scouting network. Signing Rating: 7