Newcastle United overcame a difficult start to the season to fight for Champions League football.
The Magpies are currently sat sixth in the Premier League table, but they could climb up into the top four with a win against Manchester City on Saturday.
Toon boss Eddie Howe must overcome several injury setbacks to key players ahead of the game, however. The likes of Sven Botman and Dan Burn are doubts ahead of the important clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Fans will hope that Alexander Isak can find the back of the net after failing to score in his last two games in all competitions – the Swede netted in Newcastle’s Carabao Cup win against Arsenal but he was judged to have been in an offside position so the goal was chalked off.
A familiar trait that Howe wants in his players is a good attitude. Squad harmony has played a big part in the Magpies’ success in recent seasons, and Howe has done a fine job of ridding the club of any bad eggs.
Howe banished Ryan Fraser to the under-21s after a fallout and confirmed in 2023 that he would never play for the club again.
Back in the 2010s when Alan Pardew was manager, there was a similar story involving one player who was full of talent but ultimately his attitude got the better of him.
Alan Pardew on Hatem Ben Arfa at Newcastle
Former Newcastle attacker Hatem Ben Arfa was a player that was simply joyous to watch at times.
His attacking play was sensational and at times it looked like no other player in Europe could beat him. Unfortunately, things went sour for the Frenchman at Newcastle, leaving the club after having his contract terminated in 2015.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Pardew recalled how difficult Ben Arfa was to manage and how much of a nuisance he was around the club.
“I managed Hatem Ben Arfa at Newcastle. Very difficult character,” he said.
“Unfortunately for Hatem, he was an unbelievable talent by the way. I didn’t play him all the time because he antagonised staff and players. He just had this way of upsetting the camp a bit.
“His defensive work by the way was zero, but he was a tremendous talent on the ball.”
“I managed Hatem Ben Arfa at Newcastle. Very difficult character,” he said.
“Unfortunately for Hatem, he was an unbelievable talent by the way. I didn’t play him all the time because he antagonised staff and players. He just had this way of upsetting the camp a bit.
“His defensive work by the way was zero, but he was a tremendous talent on the ball.”
After Newcastle, Ben Arfa signed for Ligue 1 side Nice where he looked to have found his form again. His performances earned him a move to PSG, but it did not work out. Stints at Rennes, Valladoid and Bordeaux followed before Ben Arfa signed for Lille, his last club before retiring.
What is Hatem Ben Arfa doing now?
The Ben Arfa name still crops up every now and again when comparing current Premier League stars to players of the past.
Pardew compared Lucas Paqueta to Ben Arfa for his lack of defensive quality. Elsewhere, former Sunderland striker Darren Bent compared Bruno Guimaraes to Ben Arfa, referring to the Brazilian as a ‘maverick’.
After hanging up his boots, Ben Arfa has now taken up a career in padel. As of November 2023, Ben Arfa was ranked 1342 out of 42300 competitive padel players in France.
The 37-year-old is clearly a talented individual if he can go professional in multiple sports. Many Newcastle fans would dream of having Ben Arfa’s attacking quality in the current Newcastle side.
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