No great surprise but it seems Hatem Ben Arfa has kicked his last ball for Newcastle with the club willing to part with the French playmaker for as little as £3 million. Both the Hartlepool Mail and Shields Gazette are reporting that Ben Arfa's time is up after four years at St James' Park and will definitely be offloaded for a knockdown fee after being exiled from the first team picture by Alan Pardew towards the end of the season And the 27-year-old's brief substitute appearance in the 1-0 defeat to Stoke last month looks certain to be his last in black and white with Pardew banishing him to train with reserve squad in recent weeks. Despite falling out with Pardew, who previously stated that Ben Arfa needed to work harder and add a consistency to his game, the talented forward is keen to remain with Newcastle despite spending much of the campaign on the fringes of the first team. If the manager says to me he doesnt believe in me for next season, I respect that, but I want to stay, A frustrated Ben Arfa said in a recent interview. But if the president (Mike Ashley) wants to sell me, I have to go.
I want to stay here even if the manager doesnt believe in me, because I will show him I can play here.
It's a sad end to a exhilarating albeit erratic spell on Tyneside for Ben Arfa, who is arguably the most talented player the club has on its books but has enlightened us with only the briefest glimpses of his genius. The France international is flawed just like every human being but Pardew's efforts to transform him into a workhorse rather than harnessing his rare creative talent has been painful to watch. Hopefully this isn't the end for Ben Arfa at Newcastle.
