It’s always baffling when incredibly talented players seem to ruin their careers with disruptive behaviour and a lack of effort. Working hard is simply a choice whereas talent is the thing that truly separates the top players. According to reports, West Ham are looking at a potential signing who should set alarm bells ringing for fans.
According to The Daily Mail via Hammers.news, Manuel Pellegrini is considering adding Hatem Ben Arfa to his West Ham squad. He’s currently a free agent so he would still be able to sign despite the transfer window being closed.
There is no doubting that the Frenchman is a talented player, he was outstanding at times for Nice in the 2015/2016 season and has some brilliant individual moments.
The issue is his temperament and work rate. The Hammers.news story credits Pellegrini with creating a great atmosphere in the changing room so why would he risk that for a 32 year old who may not even improve the team?
Admittedly they did lose some attacking options this Summer with Javier Hernandez, Lucas Perez, Andy Carroll and Marko Arnautovic all leaving the club. Despite that there’s still no need to sign Ben Arfa.
If you look at his last spell in England, The Telegraph reported that Alan Pardew was furious with him for being such a disruptive influence at Newcastle.
The story also suggests that Ben Arfa is still a free agent because he doesn’t feel excited by any offers that have been presented to him so far. It just further proves that he thinks it’s all about him.
ESPN also reported that he “celebrated” not playing for a full year with a cake during his time at PSG. It’s just not the kind of attitude you want from a potential signing.
There’s no sign of a deal being agreed at this point and you feel West Ham would do well to stick with things as they currently are.