Ben Arfa

[Ketsbaia 0]

Hatem Ben Arfa is trying to force through a move to Newcastle but his club Marseille are refusing to do business with the Tyneside club.

The France international did not train at Marseille yesterday and still wants to join Newcastle on loan, despite other interest from Benfica, Hoffenheim and Genoa.

Angry Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier said: `Hatem is part of the workforce and he will remain so.

 

'I do not think the coach (of Newcastle) is in-step with his leaders, if you believe his statements.

 

'It is quite strange. There is not a serious and solid offer from Newcastle.'

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...l#ixzz0wQplOUxw

 

Seems like theyre talking behind hughtons back or hes just lying to the press everyday

 

This. When he was telling the press that we weren't interested in Campbell and people were just reading too much into his relationship with him Sol was out the back getting fitted for training bras.

[Kitman 2207]

Hatem Ben Arfa is trying to force through a move to Newcastle but his club Marseille are refusing to do business with the Tyneside club.

The France international did not train at Marseille yesterday and still wants to join Newcastle on loan, despite other interest from Benfica, Hoffenheim and Genoa.

Angry Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier said: `Hatem is part of the workforce and he will remain so.

 

'I do not think the coach (of Newcastle) is in-step with his leaders, if you believe his statements.

 

'It is quite strange. There is not a serious and solid offer from Newcastle.'

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...l#ixzz0wQplOUxw

 

Seems like theyre talking behind hughtons back or hes just lying to the press everyday

 

This. When he was telling the press that we weren't interested in Campbell and people were just reading too much into his relationship with him Sol was out the back getting fitted for training bras.

 

[loonyTOON 10]

In a way, the lying to the press is a good thing. It means that he can do his business without fuss, pressure or competition. And look at it this way, if Man Utd were to reveal who they were after all the time, everyone would fly in there and try and sign them too.

[Kitman 2207]

In a way, the lying to the press is a good thing. It means that he can do his business without fuss, pressure or competition. And look at it this way, if Man Utd were to reveal who they were after all the time, everyone would fly in there and try and sign them too.

 

I've never really understood how football transfers work. In any other walk of life, if you're going to spend millions of pounds on something, there are meetings, exchanges of documents, draft contracts and so on. In football there's endless speculation and intrigue, denials and counter denials followed by a three line offer sent by fax ten minutes before the window deadline expires.

 

I'm hoping that this is all part of Marseilles trying to get a bit more for their player and it will all be sorted swiftly. However seeing as I view everything the bunch of clowns and amateurs running our club does through a jaundiced and cynical eye, I think it's either a) all bullshit with O'M using NUFC as stalking horses to up the ante on HBA or more likely they're acting like sneaky underhand shits in a bid to get a bargain.

 

Either way I'm very sceptical this will actually come off. And in Groucho Marx fashion*, I'm also wondering what's wrong with this guy that he would want to come and play for us.

 

 

* "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member."

[henda11 0]

To be honest, if he is that keen on playing for us, and has that desire to want to come and play for us then good on the lad, he is exactly the kind of player we need in our team at the minute, and no doubt he will have alot to offer if he were to join us for the season. His injury record is good, and he most definently isn't injury prone like the midfielders we've had i.e emre, viana etc..., and he is someone we need who has proven record of being a decent goal scorer from midfield, a good freekick taker and his assits aren't to bad either, and the pace is just another factor that we need.

[Kitman 2207]

To be honest, if he is that keen on playing for us, and has that desire to want to come and play for us then good on the lad, he is exactly the kind of player we need in our team at the minute, and no doubt he will have alot to offer if he were to join us for the season. His injury record is good, and he most definently isn't injury prone like the midfielders we've had i.e emre, viana etc..., and he is someone we need who has proven record of being a decent goal scorer from midfield, a good freekick taker and his assits aren't to bad either, and the pace is just another factor that we need.

 

Who knows what his real intentions are? I'd be made up if he was keen to play for us, rather than just being keen to get away from Marseilles. But the main thing is just that he's a good professional. The tough thing to figure out is whether we're actually serious about signing him, the statement from the Marseilles president suggest not....

[henda11 0]

To be honest, if he is that keen on playing for us, and has that desire to want to come and play for us then good on the lad, he is exactly the kind of player we need in our team at the minute, and no doubt he will have alot to offer if he were to join us for the season. His injury record is good, and he most definently isn't injury prone like the midfielders we've had i.e emre, viana etc..., and he is someone we need who has proven record of being a decent goal scorer from midfield, a good freekick taker and his assits aren't to bad either, and the pace is just another factor that we need.

 

Who knows what his real intentions are? I'd be made up if he was keen to play for us, rather than just being keen to get away from Marseilles. But the main thing is just that he's a good professional. The tough thing to figure out is whether we're actually serious about signing him, the statement from the Marseilles president suggest not....

I suppose we will just have to wait and see what happens, and to hope that he does want to come to us, and that our lot can pull their fingers out of their arse's and make something happen.

Edited August 12, 2010 by henda11

[Kitman 2207]

To be honest, if he is that keen on playing for us, and has that desire to want to come and play for us then good on the lad, he is exactly the kind of player we need in our team at the minute, and no doubt he will have alot to offer if he were to join us for the season. His injury record is good, and he most definently isn't injury prone like the midfielders we've had i.e emre, viana etc..., and he is someone we need who has proven record of being a decent goal scorer from midfield, a good freekick taker and his assits aren't to bad either, and the pace is just another factor that we need.

 

Who knows what his real intentions are? I'd be made up if he was keen to play for us, rather than just being keen to get away from Marseilles. But the main thing is just that he's a good professional. The tough thing to figure out is whether we're actually serious about signing him, the statement from the Marseilles president suggest not....

I suppose we will just have to wait and see what happens, and to hope that he does want to come to us, and that how lot can pull their fingers out of their arse's and make something happen.

 

Yeah, absolutely. They can take their feet out of their mouths at the same time

[henda11 0]

To be honest, if he is that keen on playing for us, and has that desire to want to come and play for us then good on the lad, he is exactly the kind of player we need in our team at the minute, and no doubt he will have alot to offer if he were to join us for the season. His injury record is good, and he most definently isn't injury prone like the midfielders we've had i.e emre, viana etc..., and he is someone we need who has proven record of being a decent goal scorer from midfield, a good freekick taker and his assits aren't to bad either, and the pace is just another factor that we need.

 

Who knows what his real intentions are? I'd be made up if he was keen to play for us, rather than just being keen to get away from Marseilles. But the main thing is just that he's a good professional. The tough thing to figure out is whether we're actually serious about signing him, the statement from the Marseilles president suggest not....

I suppose we will just have to wait and see what happens, and to hope that he does want to come to us, and that how lot can pull their fingers out of their arse's and make something happen.

 

Yeah, absolutely. They can take their feet out of their mouths at the same time

, Supposedly they are only after 6m for him, and i don't see the problem with fat arse pulling 5m or 6m out of the 60m+ that he made off us getting promoted. It really does bemuse me. I hate him with a passion.

[Kitman 2207]

, Supposedly they are only after 6m for him, and i don't see the problem with fat arse pulling 5m or 6m out of the 60m+ that he made off us getting promoted. It really does bemuse me. I hate him with a passion.

Nothing about that lot surprises me. If they weren't utterly incompetent, we wouldn't have been relegated in the first place. They probably reckon Smith and Nolan are world class midfielders and Shola's about to come good....

[AgentAxeman 189]

Supposedly they are only after 6m for him, and i don't see the problem with fat arse pulling 5m or 6m out of the 60m+ that he made off us getting promoted. It really does bemuse me. I hate him with a passion.

 

 

[henda11 0]

Supposedly they are only after 6m for him, and i don't see the problem with fat arse pulling 5m or 6m out of the 60m+ that he made off us getting promoted. It really does bemuse me. I hate him with a passion.

 

 

 

 

I don't know how the hell the scum got 9m for Jones, when all he is, is fucking Strolla Ameobi with dreadlocks.

[OTF 7492]

All the bullshit speculation and he said / they said is very annoying, but I'm sure both clubs are enjoying it immensely.

 

I see why we could easily think that we'd have a serious interest in this player as he seemingly adds what we're currently missing from our squad. But on the other hand a signing like this is not at all realistic under the current management, even if it's only on loan.

 

Certainly not expecting anything of this now.

 

I think next transfer window I'll steer clear of all the rubbish, because ultimately that's all it usually amounts to being.

[ChezGiven 0]

http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/...ise-a-l-om.html

[Kitman 2207]

http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/...ise-a-l-om.html

 

Oh dear. The gist of that seems to be Marseilles have decided to keep him but HBA is determined to leave, resulting in HBA going on strike. I assume that L'Equipe is a pretty reliable source.

[Dolly Potter MD 0]

I still havent given up on this.

 

Cant get my head round Year Zero's point of view either. Its L'OM pissing about delaying things so that they could get him in front of the national and internatonal TV cameras against Norway to try and get more bids but thats us taking the piss out of them? Not sure i get that.

 

I think you missed the point, or perhaps i should've spelt it out more clearly, about OM hoping that a club [willing to pay a respectable transfer fee, relative to their valuation, a club that might prove just as or more attractive to the lad] might materialise with a firm interest between now and the close of the transfer window.

 

I think you underestimate the significance of the game even though it is a match against a lower tier international side in Norway, from a scouting perspective anyway. Managers & scouts [at top clubs] are more interested in how a youngster fares [how their physical & technical come to the fore] when they're surrounded with good/top players [with pace & movement, whether or not they have it in them to take the bull by the scruff of the neck when they're surrounded by players with bigger reputations ie. if they're a shrinking violet or not] regardless as to whether it's versus Brazil, Norway or Luxembourg.

 

Thats all true but as Ketsbaia said, we had the deal agreed and then the offer has come in for Niang and now they have the money to get Fabiano without selling Ben Arfa.

 

Its obviously a tricky situation and if we dont want to risk 7/8m on a player who may flop (for reasons outside his talent, thats not in question) then a loan with a view to buy seems sensible. As thats the only deal we have been prepared to look at, not sure we are taking the piss.

 

I agree that his goal last night makes it less likely he will come, however if the player himself is set on coming then we just need to hold our nerve.

 

A deal agreed in principle [begrudgingly accepted] and nothing set in concrete or finalized on paper by the sounds of things. And OM have every right to move the goal posts, hedge their bets on another club [as i have mentioned] entering the frey: particularly for a player by some accounts is a co-contributor in a frosty relationship between the player & manager, and is currently nearing the end of current contract [last 2 years].

 

It's a matter of opinion but i'm still of the judgement that OM are playing a waiting game of their own, for the reason which is the polar opposite of our board. They're prepared to roll the dice, they're gambling: hoping that greater exposure will protect & maintain their valuation over the course of this window or in the event of a switch in January, or perhaps to minimise their losses if previous hype [of a couple years back] is to be believed.

 

The loan system has it's place. As a means of topping up a squad with fringe/squad players, amidst the strains imposed by an often heavy fixture schedule. I think of players like Cordone and Distin as examples. But to target priority players [or blue-chip youth talent] is equally unambitious, as well as wrought with danger both prior and after a deal being done.

 

OM are taking their valuation seriously and bids like ours are underanderstably translated as 'ridiculous', hence the moving of the goal posts. Man.Utd haven't built a healthy relationship with Sporting [as a feeder club] by attempting to take the piss out them in being constantly at odds over valuations. Our bid can be fairly viewed as being disrespectful: a belated bid for Delph being another.

 

And '1st option to buy' options are tenious at best, and there's plenty of scope for another/bigger club to materialize with a firm interest at a later time and opportunity for an Arfa to change his mind in accordance to various intangibles. Distin [admittedly a late bloomer, and the sort of squad top-up i speak of] couldn't be convinced to stay on, and we were vastly more ambitious. It's unfair to actually compare the two boards in this instance, but nonetheless the danger of the '1st option to buy' method is there to see.

 

As for what i've placed in bold. That's the very nature of the transfer market. It's a risk based business, one that is speculative and volatile: sometimes players may fail acclimatise into the club dynamic for reasons unrelated to football [Domi, a less obvious example of a foreign export failing to settle in].

 

Prior to our move for Cole there were question marks raised [when discussing the pros & cons] during the process of evaluating him. Keegan and the remainder for the front-office/board [Fletcher, Shepherd and Hall Jnr] had to balance his potential/his scope for improvement against that of his character [unusual, hot & cold/aloof: and team dynamic, having everybody pulling in the one positive direction and KK was a guru in that department/individually man-managing playing staff] and what was a sketchy fitness record. Cole [in regards to the question of character] when against the grain when compared to KK's earlier signings, but he recognised the pros very much outweighed the so-called cons. At the end of the day he went with his gut instinct and the board fully backed the manager's judgment, and coughed up what was a very respectable transfer fee back in the day.

 

Shepherd was 100 percent correct in his evaluation of Ashley's running of the club, and FS much to the majority's disdain was correct in regards to many things he said which were deemed to be politically incorrect/offensive. The business of football [the transfer market] is an entirely different beast to that one treaded by Ashley out in the business world. It's largely speculative, risk vs reward as mentioned. Ashley, as it would appear, seems uncomfortable with this notion.

 

Whereas he/Ashley should stick with a market which is more homely to him, a market which allows him to consolidate & strengthen his strength by resorting to anti-competitive & unethical practices: where in addition where it's all too very easy to buy a sufficient shareholding or a saboteur voice on a rival or major product supplier, in order to protect his overall interests.

 

Blokes like Ashley who are unable to distinguish between the two [and hence by nature are unwilling to apply the appropriate practice, and by nature he was/is a cheap & tacky store trader he struck an oil deposit, by accumulating a set of of brands in a developing - or yet to be fully tapped market - during an economic boom time] have no place in football.

 

From the outset [on another forum admittedly] i questioned Ashley's propensity to apply the proverbial corporate razor-cutter mentality, and duly raised concerns as to whether his running of the club would closely follow suit: both applying to business models/practices in addition to the character of the man. On both counts, it seems as though i was unfortunately correct.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Year Zero

[Besty 4]

Fucking hell, 05:49AM when he posted that.

[Guest Tuco Ramirez]

Fucking hell, 05:49AM when he posted that.

Brisbane, Queensland IP ausnet is the information I have.

[Dr Gloom 22177]

this thread is getting annoying. 18 pages in and still no confirmation he's signing.

 

imagine if we end up with jason roberts instead after all this

[Guest Tuco Ramirez]

this thread is getting annoying. 18 pages in and still no confirmation he's signing.

 

imagine if we end up with jason roberts instead after all this

If we sign Jason Roberts, I'll sell me season ticket £15 a game to anyone that wants it.

[Guest alex]

this thread is getting annoying. 18 pages in and still no confirmation he's signing.

 

imagine if we end up with jason roberts instead after all this

If we sign Jason Roberts, I'll sell me season ticket £15 a game to anyone that wants it.

You'll be lucky, people'll be giving them away

[vinnieq 0]

Story..

 

Been following this Ben Arfa story.. Mental tho if we won't fork out £6m..

 

ManU just signed a homeless buck for 7! No experience!!

Ben Arfa just scored a cracker midweek against Norway.

 

Beginning to wish i never saw the Ben Arfa headline...

[ChezGiven 0]

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/nufc/Toon-wo...Arfa.6474106.jp?

 

Still some hope.

[henda11 0]

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/nufc/Toon-wo...Arfa.6474106.jp?

 

Still some hope.

I hope so. If all is true then Marsielle are just being cunts to try and get more interest in him, but it is clearly not working and probably won't work, because if he is that adament on coming to Newcastle then he will get here, its just up to fat shit to try and pull it off.

[Ketsbaia 0]

His advisors said today: "Hatem will go to Newcastle. The relationship between him and Deschamps has reached the point of no return and we just want Marseille to backtrack and let him go. Hatem has always been honest with OM while they have mocked him. In early July Deschamps told him he had to find a new club and that's what we did."