New arrival?Good news, or is it? Hatem Ben Arfa looks like he is finally set to move to Newcastle, according to Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier anyway.
I wrote a little bit about this yesterday, and have been reading through the various comments and links to translated articles that have been posted since I went to work last night with interest.
On the surface of things, the move looks like it is almost sealed for a fee of between £1-2 million up front with a further £5 million to be payable in the event that Ben Arfa plays 25 games for Newcastle. Those figures are purely speculative mind, just to clarify, but they have been mentioned so I just thought that I would throw them out there.
One thing has been niggling away at the back of my mind though, particularly regarding Dassier and his claims that Ben Arfa is to fly to Newcastle today, and that a deal has been agreed. Some of that sounded a bit familiar to me, then I realised that Newcastle had apparently agreed a deal with Marseille weeks ago according to Dassier, and nothing came of it then, so why should we believe him now? (more…)
Love em or Hate'm?The potential loan move of Hatem Ben Arfa to Newcastle has been one of the most protracted transfer stories of the summer to date.
Maybe it just seems that way as it involves our club? Possibly, but for a move that had seemed pretty certain earlier in the week there doesn’t seem to be a lot happening with regard to it.
You can take a look at any number of sources for the latest information regarding the transfer, and I am willing to bet that you won’t find two articles that are reporting the same. The deal is on, the deal is off, Newcastle agree a deal, then they don’t and so on. At the end of the day it is the amount of time that the deal is taking that is causing these different stories. (more…)
Just a quick update on the Ben Arfa saga, which finally appears to be drawing to a close, at last.
Sky Sports News have reported that Marseille have accepted a fee of around £1 million from Newcastle to take the 23-year old Frenchman on loan for the season.
It is understood that the deal includes an option to buy at the end of the deal, which hopefully means that future payments will be set out in advance should the player impress and Newcastle wish to make the move permanent. (more…)
Hatem tuned up for Toon?It looks like the Ben Arfa saga could be drawing to a close as press reports seem to indicate that a deal has been reached between Newcastle and Marseille.
The Journal reports that Newcastle and Marseille have agreed a fee of around £700,000 to secure the services of the French international on a season long loan deal with an option to purchase the player at the end of the season most likely.
Personal details are yet to be finalised, but they are at the point where Ben Arfa’s agent has said it would be “impossible to comment”. Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier, who mentioned the possibility of a deal over the weekend, has revealed that more talks are planned between the two clubs today. (more…)
David N'Gog - The latest Toon rumour.It’s a funny old game isn’t it? It is, absolutely, but it isn’t quite as funny as seeing what rumours get cobbled together by the press on an almost daily basis.
The latest in the long long line of highly unlikely rumours drops today as it has been revealed that Liverpool striker David N’Gog has been interesting Newcastle, and we have apparently been in touch with the bindippers over the possibility of a loan deal, according to The Daily Mirror.
Those last three words should clarify the situation as surely by now everybody knows what to expect from them. Let’s just say that accurate reporting doesn’t seem to be high on their agenda. Mind you, they aren’t the only news outlet who are guilty of it, far from it in fact! (more…)
