Newcastle Transfers: 8 Reasons Why Hatem Ben Arfa May Have To Be Sold

2. Too Good For Pardew

Pardew has a history of being unable to fit maverick superstars into a functional team. The 52-year-old is certainly not a bad manager, but he has his limitations. Given the choice between trying to get a team of 11 individuals to do as they're told, or to try and accomodate an unpredictable talent, he will always choose the former. At West Ham, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were left to rot on the bench to the bemusement of all concerned and Pardew soon faced the chop, unable to get results with even his preferred starting 11. In fairness to Pardew, he did not sign the duo personally, and the likes of Kevin Keegan and Alan Curbishley have both quit their jobs in the last decade following similar interference. In a similar way, it is doubtful that Ben Arfa was really top of Pardew's list when the permanent signing was made in January 2011. The player had already been brought to the club on a season-long loan deal when Chris Hughton was manager, and after Ben Arfa showed a sign of his talent on his debut against Everton, it was a shrewd populist move to tie him down. But is Ben Arfa really a Pardew player? The next few months could prove make or break in that particular regard.