Hatem Ben Arfa is one name that the Premier League fans will still remember even though his spell at Newcastle United was brief. The Frenchman was capable of troubling even the best of defences but was pretty inconsistent and a hard player to manage off the pitch.
Well, now, reports reveal West Ham United are eyeing a swoop for Ben Arfa who happens to be a free agent. Ben Arfa has been without a club since last summer following a disappointing spell with Paris Saint-Germain.
The move to PSG was supposed to be the start of something special for the Frenchman following his incredible spell with Nice, but he failed to get into the first team ahead of the likes of Cavani and Di Maria.
A few months before the end of his first season at PSG, Ben Arfa revealed he was leaving the club as he was frozen out due to attitude problems. The form he managed at Nice before his move to PSG was impressive, though.
In 34 league games for Nice, he managed 17 goals and four assists as he was one of the best attacking midfielders in the league back then.
What will Ben Arfa add to West Ham United?
West Ham have signed quite a few attackers but Manuel Pellegrini is still on the lookout for players who can improve the team. The Chilean will also be without Manuel Lanzini for a few months, so Ben Arfa could potentially be a good and cheap alternative.
A pretty elusive player in the attacking half, Ben Arfa has got the skills and the ability to pick a pass to unlock a defence. He would be even more deadly on the break with space to exploit and driving at the opposing defence.
Ben Arfa wants to join a Champions League club of course, but it’s unlikely that is going to happen considering he has been out of action for a while. At West Ham, he’ll likely be deployed as an attacking midfielder if Pellegrini uses Yarmolenko and Anderson on the wide areas.
At 31, Ben Arfa still has a few good years left in him. For a free transfer, he wouldn’t be a bad deal, if the Hammers can tie him down for not so exorbitant wages. The project at the London Stadium is pretty interesting, so of the Hammers come calling, it’d be a pretty good team to join at the moment.
