Former Newcastle United midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa has revealed on his Instagram that he will be leaving PSG at the end of the season, but there is no way he should come back to the North East.
There have not been many players in black and white in recent years who have lit up St James’ Park like Ben Arfa did.
The French winger was unstoppable at times, with his pace in possession and insane dribbling ability endearing himself to the Toon Army, quickly becoming a fan favourite.
Who can forget his stunning solo goal against Bolton Wanderers when he ran from his own half to find the back of the net, or his even better solo run against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup?
But while Ben Arfa did shine at times for Newcastle, there was more bad than good, and there is a reason why he has struggled at pretty much every club he has been at.
There were claims of Ben Arfa being ‘Pardewed’, but the current West Brom boss is just a name on a long list of managers who have been unable to deal with the enigmatic forward, maybe suggesting that management is not the problem.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
The 31-year-old would often lose possession in key areas, fail to work back and put in the required effort, ultimately costing his team a goal. That kind of attitude is not going to fly at Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United.
The team that Benitez is building at Newcastle has a foundation of hard working professionals who put their bodies on the line for the badge on the shirt, and are not interested in the name on the back.
While Ben Arfa was a delight to watch on his day, we do not need to see anymore of those days on Tyneside anytime soon.