Hatem Ben Arfa

[ealingfox]

Bloody hell lets not go over the top. This is Ben Arfa we're talking about and not Messi right? He isn't a top player and has only ever won anything in France.

Wetting yourselves over 17 goals and skilling up defenders in Ligue 1 is ridiculous. Their league is shit. His record in England on the pitch is average at best. But yeah he scored that goal against Bolton where he dribbled past the likes of David Wheater. Add to that the problems off the pitch, the golden handshake and his injury record and I'd be every bit as sceptical of this as anyone.

I trust Walsh and the scouts but let's not pretend this is us stepping up in class.

[Dan]

What have I missed here then?

 

My guess would've been he ends up at Southampton, seeing as they've just lost a winger and they're about to appoint Nice's manager of last season.

 

He always struck me as a serious talent, something clearly not there with him though.

[AKCJ]

I'm not exactly going to protest if we sign him, I've always quite passionately defended our recruitment team and if they think he'll represent value then great.

My biggest bugbear was the insinuation that being more eager about the prospect of Allen than HBA was laughable.

Clearly someone wasn't paying much attention for the last twelve months is all.

 

I think that the "lazy, arrogant etc" tag is always given to these flair players who are underperforming.

 

Their talent isn't in running about like a mad man, it's about doing something bloody brilliant when they get the ball.

 

Ben Arfa is clearly very talented and is clearly in great form and confidence. He was incredible in the early days at Newcastle before he broke his leg but was then deemed lazy when he couldn't find the heights he once did post injury and a move to Hull where Bruce has no time for out and out flair (similar to Pearson) was never going to work for him.

 

Riyad isn't exactly a work horse but he has the ability to back it up. I think Ben Arfa does too.

[richardsfoxes]

Ben Arfa, Vardy, Mahrez and Slimani just putting it out there would be the best attacking 4 on paper in the prem in my opinion. Get it done Leicester

[AKCJ]

Ben Arfa, Vardy, Mahrez and Slimani just putting it out there would be the best attacking 4 on paper in the prem in my opinion. Get it done Leicester

 

Even then we could play with Vardy and Slimani up top with Albrighton and Brady chucking in crosses.

 

Slimani would score hundreds.

[Babylon]

When he was free I posted that he would be worth a punt and got slated. Funny how quick people change opinions

You presume that it's the same people.

 

There are rightly plenty of question marks about him, rightly so. I don't think anyone can deny that, it's whether it's worth the risk and whether we think we can get the best of him. I'm sure have Mendy could help on that score (presuming they didn't hate each other).

[Dan]

Oh wow this actually might be a goer? Didn't expect this.

 

If anyone's getting the best out of him it's us*

 

*or Sevilla

[Babylon]

What have I missed here then?

Lyon owner said he'd been told that Leicester were leading the pack to sign him, by someone who had spoken to Ben Arfa yesterday afternoon.

[Finnegan]

I think that the "lazy, arrogant etc" tag is always given to these flair players who are underperforming.

Their talent isn't in running about like a mad man, it's about doing something bloody brilliant when they get the ball.

Ben Arfa is clearly very talented and is clearly in great form and confidence. He was incredible in the early days at Newcastle before he broke his leg but was then deemed lazy when he couldn't find the heights he once did post injury and a move to Hull where Bruce has no time for out and out flair (similar to Pearson) was never going to work for him.

Riyad isn't exactly a work horse but he has the ability to back it up. I think Ben Arfa does too.

The tags lazy and flaky are given to Ben Arfa because he is lazy and flaky.

[treer]

no chance, made up bllox, 

 

would go against everything we have heard about the great foxes scouting system, and player attitude

[Out Foxed]

The tags lazy and flaky are given to Ben Arfa because he is lazy and flaky.

supposedly he turned it around last season and accepted he may have not being giving his best when he was at newcastle.

[Babylon]

Bloody hell lets not go over the top. This is Ben Arfa we're talking about and not Messi right? He isn't a top player and has only ever won anything in France.

Wetting yourselves over 17 goals and skilling up defenders in Ligue 1 is ridiculous. Their league is shit. His record in England on the pitch is average at best. But yeah he scored that goal against Bolton where he dribbled past the likes of David Wheater. Add to that the problems off the pitch, the golden handshake and his injury record and I'd be every bit as sceptical of this as anyone.

I trust Walsh and the scouts but let's not pretend this is us stepping up in class.

Nobody has suggested we're signing Messi, just a player with a bit of x factor so it's not all on Mahrez is what people think we'd be signing.

 

People enjoy watching a bit of flair, exactly why Mahrez and Knockaert were loved. I appreciate your Albrightons, Simpsons and all your other work horses. Bit a bit of flair is nice!

[Fox92]

Nobody has suggested we're signing Messi, just a player with a bit of x factor so it's not all on Mahrez is what people think we'd be signing.

 

People enjoy watching a bit of flair, exactly why Mahrez and Knockaert were loved. I appreciate your Albrightons, Simpsons and all your other work horses. Bit a bit of flair is nice!

 

We've got Gray. He's a like for like for Mahrez.

 

Don't want Ben Arfa personally.

[Fox 4 Life]

We've got Gray. He's a like for like for Mahrez.

 

Don't want Ben Arfa personally.

 

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Gray looks a real talent but not like for like for Mahrez!

[AKCJ]

The tags lazy and flaky are given to Ben Arfa because he is lazy and flaky.

But you would say the same of Riyad if he didn't score all of those goals and get all those assists.

Ben Area looks to have turned a corner IMO where potential is reality.

[chapero82]

I'm sure if Was tells him to sort himself out he will

[Fox92]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Gray looks a real talent but not like for like for Mahrez!

 

I wasn't talking about ability, I was talking about style of play and flair. Gray is more like Mahrez than Albrighton.

[Babylon]

We've got Gray. He's a like for like for Mahrez.

 

Don't want Ben Arfa personally.

I've seen a talented youngster, but I've not seen anything to suggest he's like for like or even close yet to having the sort of unique ability we're talking about.

[Fox92]

I've seen a talented youngster, but I've not seen anything to suggest he's like for like or even close yet to having the sort of unique ability we're talking about.

 

I thought you were talking about flair? (I didn't mean ability).

[Babylon]

I thought you were talking about flair? (I didn't mean ability).

I haven't seen a huge amount of that either.

 

I've been trying to find where exactly he played in their system last season. Most people mention him as an AM rather than a winger, but can't be sure. I imagined him being used in games where we're dominating, teams are camped in their box and we need something special to break them down. He's got that control and ability to operate in tight areas and beat men. Plenty of games towards the end we didn't need a grafter like Shinji on the pitch as they had no intention of attacking.

[foxes21]

So is this actually happening?

We are signing Brady, Mendy & Ben Arfa in the coming days? Omg

[RoyFox]

A certain Stan Collymore was described in a similar fashion before he was pulling up trees with Heskey, albeit for not long enough. If anyone can treat a player professionally it's Claudio, Alan Pardew is David Brent - hence why his team's spiral downwards after the 'honeymoon' period, emotionally unintelligent and 'one of he lads' before it all back fires (cue snake hips!).

[adamlcfcbevo85]

Bloody hell lets not go over the top. This is Ben Arfa we're talking about and not Messi right? He isn't a top player and has only ever won anything in France.

Wetting yourselves over 17 goals and skilling up defenders in Ligue 1 is ridiculous. Their league is shit. His record in England on the pitch is average at best. But yeah he scored that goal against Bolton where he dribbled past the likes of David Wheater. Add to that the problems off the pitch, the golden handshake and his injury record and I'd be every bit as sceptical of this as anyone.

I trust Walsh and the scouts but let's not pretend this is us stepping up in class.

ah right the same league where we got kante from and the same league utd got martial from regardless what league, get over your self the premier league isn't all that anymore, he scored 17 goals and x amount of assists so shows he has form and would be a good asset to the club however I'm not bothered if he signs or not but this logic is crazy some people on this site are actually mental

[Babylon]

So is this actually happening?

We are signing Brady, Mendy & Ben Arfa in the coming days? Omg

Unless we're planning of playing Ben Arfa at 10, I don't know where he'd fit in. We don't need 6 wingers.

[Fox92]

ah right the same league where we got kante from and the same league utd got martial from regardless what league, get over your self the premier league isn't all that anymore, he scored 17 goals and x amount of assists so shows he has form and would be a good asset to the club however I'm not bothered if he signs or not but this logic is crazy some people on this site are actually mental

 

I think Ealing's point was more of the fact Ben Arfa looked nothing more than average in this country. Also agree with where you're coming from, mind.