Despite reports from Italian news outlet Tuttomercato, as reported by the Mirror, Hatem Ben Arfa will not be leaving Newcastle United for Italian giants Inter Milan today. Magpies fans have had to endure a poor transfer window once again - though the squad is in a far healthier position than some might happily concede - after the sale of Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week, and the failure to bring in a replacement so far, and a departure for the hugely talented Ben Arfa would have been another major blow. But according to both Miles Starforth of the Shields Gazette, and Peter Graves of Sky Sports, those rumours are unfounded, and Newcastle fans won't be seeing the second high-profile departure of the week. With Cabaye now moved on, and no incoming deal for either Remy Cabella or Clement Grenier so far - despite both being heavily linked with moves to the North East - Ben Arfa has a key role to play in the second half of the season, starting with tomorrow's full-blooded derby match against Sunderland. Ben Arfa proved in his performance against Norwich that he can be the man to take Newcastle forward without Cabaye in the central creative midfield role, though he will have to improve his fitness to get through a full 90 minutes after spending much of the season on the bench. Quite whether other players will leave the club before the deadline tonight at 11pm remains to be seen, with Papiss Cisse particularly linked with a move away, but it looks like Ben Arfa won't be going anywhere. Newcastle fans, are you happy with this news? Share your thoughts below.
