Having warded off interest from Barcelona and Sevilla to sign a rejuvenated Hatem Ben Arfa, Paris Saint-Germain appeared to be the perfect destination for the mercurial 29-year-old playmaker. Ben Arfa signed for PSG as a free agent after experiencing a renaissance last year with Nice, tallying 17 goals and six assists in Ligue 1.
This all, of course, followed a tumultuous four years in England where he was part footballing genius, part disinterested delinquent.
However, it appears as though Ben Arfa’s reputation as an enfant terrible is part and parcel of his makeup. Having appeared in all of PSG’s Ligue 1 matches so far, Ben Arfa has been dropped by manager Unai Emery for their most important Champions League group stage match — a clash with English giants Arsenal.
Emery had previously hinted at the fragile mental makeup of Ben Arfa, saying: “He has played in every game. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but he has played every time. He needs to work to improve himself so that if he plays a good 10 minutes, he can play 20 minutes the next time and so on.
“This is the process. He has to work hard and have the right mentality.”
Ben Arfa is one of the most talented attacking players of his generation, a man whose dribbling skills are probably only matched by Lionel Messi. But, at 29, managers are still questioning his determination and work rate.
Mr Hatem Ben Arfa #PSGARS #TeamPSG pic.twitter.com/JXQL47xkpV
— AK (@Veridik94) September 12, 2016
He’s still being omitted from the big matches, the game’s where managers need absolute trust in the 11 players they field. That’s why Ben Arfa was only named to the standby list for France at Euro 2016, and that’s why he found it so difficult to succeed in the Premier League at Newcastle United.
Ben Arfa will always remain a fan favorite, he’s a thrilling player to watch, but that will only compound how miserable he makes life for his managers.
Emery’s deputy, Juan Carlos Carcedo, told Goal that “there is no reason for Ben Arfa’s absence — Hatem is not injured, and he had no problem with the coach.”
He’s simply been made to train alone today and, according to Goal, “sees it as a humiliation.”
Moving to PSG was undoubtedly the biggest transfer of Ben Arfa’s career, and this figures to be Ben Arfa’s final chance to prove that he can be a vital part of a big club.
(H/T: FourFourTwo)
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