Ben Arfa in contact with Man Utd ?

Ole's_toe_poke

My my how values drop in a day.

If we wait till tomorrow Marseille will be the ones paying us to buy him.

RedThaiDevils#7

I'd even have Obertan ahead of this lad. We need a LW and I don't think Ben Arfa is the answer... He could possibly be good, but who knows ?

Alex

Really I would take him Obertan every time, I don't think he necessarily the answer but he has loads of talent, at this point it looks like he will waste it

Georgie Best

Regarding the attitude problems in the past, some people take consideration to Ben Arfa's age. He is only 23 years old, and some people just need some time growing up. Rooney, Smith, Cantona where all to some extent considered as trouble makers when we signed them. I don't think any of them has acted badly after joining us... When retired players are asked of what Fergusons main strength is, a lot of them answers that his man to man mangment are examplarary. I think Ferguson are better at handeling trouble makers than anyone else, and I think he is better at developing players than anyone else in the game as well. I am sure he can get the best out of Ben Arfa, and if he can, we will have a very solid left winger in him. Raymond Dominech opted to chose him above Samir Nasri whom are staying at home, I rate Nasri as a solid player, and I think that says something about Ben Arfa’s strengths. If the question is Ben Arfa for less than £10m and Angel di Maria for over £30m… Ben Arfa is likely to be the better option.

Playing for Lyon and playing for United is two completely different contexts.

As a young "super-talent" whom he was a couple of years ago - you get a incredible high status in a club like Lyon. There are so many clubs that are bigger than Lyon, and if you want to become the best you have to play with and against the best - you cannot do that in France. Top clubs in Spain, Italy or England can always provide something that others can't. Look at Essien - he "went on strike" to leave for Chelsea. Benzema and Ben Arfa got into a argument as following of this, they were the two biggest talents in Lyon, arguably even all of France at the time. Media made a lot of noise of this - to me, Ben Arfa seems to been made a bit of the bad guy, while Benzema has gotten very little criticism of the same argument, that might have been what made Lyon sell Ben Arfa. But there are always two sides of a argument, perhaps Benzema was the worst of the two, being a huge central forward talent is worth more than a winger and therefor Benzema got his way. While Benzema has disappointed in Real Madrid this season, Ben Arfa has been brilliant since he left for Marseilles, being a part of a team that has done better than Lyon domestically for two years in a row and a key man to this seasons ligue 1 title. To my knowledge, there has been no controversy what so ever considering Ben Arfa since he joined Marseilles.

In Manchester United, Ben Arfa will have reached the top of his career. He cannot possibly go any further in terms of clubs, and I think he realizes that he simply cannot have the same status that he had in Lyon or Marseilles. And as I said, to my knowledge there have been no problems with Ben Arfa in Marseilles? We really should not judge to hard based on events that happened over 2 years ago regarding a 21 year old rising into stardom, he probably had a bit of a identity crisis back then, and as I said there are always two sides in a argument, the media might have got it wrong. At 23 year old, he will probably improve further the next couple of years. I think Ferguson is the man who can take him to new hights, he is rather experienced for such a young age, and he clearly has the physical abilities, he has pace, technique and good crosses, good enough to join the squad of one of the favorites to the world cup? I think he could be a bargain, especially if he costs only £8m.

VoetbalWizard

he's the most naturally talented out of that benzema, nasri, menez, diaby, ben arfa group.

IMO he's worth a punt around 10-12 million quid; fergie is the right gaffer to mould him into top class.

Ringo 07

Ben Arfa seems to have everything except the goals. Gabriel Heinze hit 4 goals last season for Marseille yet that was more than Ben Arfa could manage!! In 29 games Ben Arfa managed just 4 assists!!
Not exactly suggesting a World Class player in the making!! But the potential is there for sure. I doubt we will go in for him but wouldnt be a bad option to develop if we fail with other targets!

Georgie Best

Well that sort of what happened with Evra wasn't it? Came as a 25 year old, rather unproven, few matches for France - and nothing but a decent first (half) season until he became brilliant his second season and it happened really fast too. As we have Nani and Valencia as good alternatives to first choices, Ben Arfa will have time to develop into the quality winger I believe he can become.

Decotron

Toffees still keen on Ben Arfa move
Thursday 27th May 2010 11:17


Hatem Ben Arfa's agent claims Everton are still interested in bringing the Marseille forward to Goodison Park this summer.

David Moyes has been a long-time admirer and the Toffees were strongly linked with a move for the 23-year-old during the January transfer window.

Ben Arfa helped Marseille win their first Ligue 1 title for 18 years this season and is valued at £10million by the Mediterranean giants, having cost them £9m from Lyon in 2008.

And his agent, Frederic Guerra, reckons a deal could be done this summer as Moyes aims to boost his squad for the 2010/11 season.

"Everton have been very interested for a while now and it's a possibility," Guerra told the Sun.

Ben Arfa has won seven caps for France but despite being named in Les Bleus' provisional 30-man World Cup squad, he was cut from the final 23 for this summer's finals.

::sonny::

Labelled as one of the next big stars to come out of France, Hatem Ben Arfa has not quite reached the heights that many had expected.

Along with the likes of Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri, Ben Arfa forms part of the younger French generation, given the task of replacing the ‘old guard’ within the French national team, players which achieved such great success, both individually and collectively.

The Frenchman is currently amongst the 30 man preliminary squad for the World Cup and will be hoping to make his mark this summer.

Ben Arfa began his senior career with Lyon in 2004, the same time as Benzema, but it wasn’t until the 2006/07 season when he was to score his first goal for the club.

The summer of 2008 began with a wave of rumour after it became clear that Ben Arfa would be leaving Lyon. Many, myself included, were surprised when he eventually signed for Marseille, a big club certainly, but not as successful at that time as some of the other clubs said to have been fighting for his signature. After winning four Ligue 1 titles with Lyon, what was left for the Frenchman to achieve by staying in France? The lure of a new league and new competitions seemed too strong for Ben Arfa to resist.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid were all interested in the player, but Ben Arfa seemed happy to remain in France. He can perhaps feel justified in his decision to join Marseille, after their success of last season in winning the league.

Again being linked with moves away from France this summer, the player’s stock appears to have fallen somewhat with Europe’s leading clubs not showing the same level of interest as they had previously. The Frenchman has certainly had his fair share of confrontation and disciplinary problems at Lyon and Marseille, something that may be off-putting to any potential bidders. Ben Arfa’s goal scoring record is also not particularly striking, with just 24 goals and 16 assists in 173 career appearances. This is an area of his game that he appears to have struggled to improve over the last few years. In the tougher surroundings of the Premier League or La Liga, managers may be questioning the impact Ben Arfa will be able to make.

Everton are the club most strongly linked in England, a move that could prove beneficial to the young Frenchman. Joining a solid team such as Everton may prove a better destination, at this stage, than if he were to join one of the elite, such as Manchester United, another rumoured bidder, where the pressure and focus would be immediate. In trying to recapture the form and reputation, which saw the world’s leading clubs chase his signature, the calmer atmosphere of Goodison Park may be a good place to begin in new surroundings. On the basis of current success, common football sense, tells us however that any straight choice between Manchester United and Everton and Ben Arfa is highly likely to be running out at Old Trafford rather than Goodison Park come August.

Recent rumour also suggests a move to Paris Saint Germain may be an option for the Frenchman. This would be another surprise move, joining yet another French team. This appears a long shot.

Much will obviously depend on Marseille’s attitude towards a sale, and if willing to negotiate, the money they will demand. After arriving at the Stade Velodrome for 11 million euros, it is doubtful whether they will receive any willing bidders upwards of this amount. If Ben Arfa does make the final squad for the World Cup though, and performs well, many more suitors will appear, and any transfer fee will inevitably rise. South Africa could be his opportunity to shine once more.

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