Why West Ham United have committed a blunder by not signing Hatem Ben Arfa
West Ham United have endured a painful and pathetic start to the season. With four losses out of five, Manuel Pellegrini’s haven’t been outrightly poor in their first four games but they do not have too many positives to take from their performances. However, their most recent win against Everton should come as a relief for the Hammers.
West Ham spent quite a lot in the summer transfer market, with Pellegrini bringing in radical reinforcements to the squad. When Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere joined the club, it looked like they finally had that much-needed quality to avoid a relegation battle and challenge other mid-table teams for a top-ten finish.
However, things haven’t gone West Ham’s way this season. The likes of Anderson, Yarmolenko and Wilshere have found it difficult to link with the existing players in the team. On the other hand, the new centre-back pairing of Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena has been quite disappointing and the duo seems to have little communication between themselves. Although they have all shown signs of promise, West Ham’s players often look like a bunch of individuals playing for their personal interests. To sum it up, the Hammers have lacked cohesion in all the areas of the park.
Now, Hatem Ben Arfa was one of the high-profile footballers who was available for free during the summer transfer window. The Frenchman left Paris-Saint Germain upon the expiration of his contract and was linked to a host of other clubs across Europe. According to a previous report from Daily Star, West Ham were considering a move to sign the 31-year-old free agent.
However, that move never materialized and Ben Arfa joined French club Rennes. Ben Arfa is no stranger to the Premier League, following a successful stint with Newcastle United from 2010 to 2015. The player initially joined Newcastle on loan from Marseille but his stay at Tyneside was made permanent in 2011.
The Frenchman went on to make a total of 86 appearances for the Magpies, netting 14 times. Apart from that, he also spent time on loan at Hull City towards the end of his stay in England. Although he was a player with potential, he failed to make it count mainly due to disciplinary issues off the field that hampered his progress at various clubs.
Ben Arfa was not consistent enough during his initial days in the Premier League but his fearless approach to the game often caught the eye. A versatile attacker, Ben Arfa has the ability to play as a striker, supporting striker, attacking midfielder and a winger.
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To put things into perspective, his experience in the Premier League could have proven to be an asset to the Hammers. To be honest, West Ham have certainly committed a blunder by not signing a player of Ben Arfa’s calibre for free. He would have surely provided Pellegrini with more options up front.
It is a decision that has already proven to be costly so far and it might come back to bite them harder if they fail to resurrect their campaign soon enough.
