Newcastle United

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Hatem Ben Arfa is a diminutive figure cutting in from the right wing and jinking past helpless defenders before lashing the ball into the net, invariably with his left foot.

The 27-year-old French international is, along with Yohan Cabaye, undoubtedly one of the most natural talents Newcastle United have had in recent years.

Yet Toon manager Alan Pardew—as with Cabaye, though in this case voluntarily—decided to dispense with the mercurial Ben Arfa, shipping him down the east coast on loan to Hull City, where he has yet to make a competitive appearance.

Magpies fans, while somewhat perplexed, reason that a lack of overall effort served as the Frenchman’s downfall, and anyone who has watched Ben Arfa week-in and week-out would agree that he does not make the most of his ability.

Then there are the rumours of a clash with Pardew, a theory that is fairly probable given the two parties’ strong personalities and one that the Newcastle helmsman exacerbated when he accused Ben Arfa of lacking “professionalism,” as reported in August by Simon Bird of the Mirror.

But putting the potential financial cost to one side, were Pardew and Toon owner Mike Ashley right to offload their inconsistent yet occasionally astonishing playmaker?

Goals and Assists

In 86 appearances for Newcastle, Ben Arfa has scored 14 goals and provided another 17 for his teammates—a rate of one every 2.8 games.

It is perhaps not quite the contribution you would expect from a player of his talent, particularly considering his side’s overall goal tally over recent seasons, but it is still 0.6 better than the Toon’s next-best goals-per-game winger, Yoan Gouffran.

Now let’s look at the rates of the other wingers in the squad (to make it fair we’ll only use players who have been on Tyneside for at least a season): Gouffran, 3.4; Jonas Gutierrez, 5.3; Gabriel Obertan, 5.7; and Sammy Ameobi, 6.5. Gutierrez and Ameobi are both better utilised down the left.

Also, you have to bear in mind that prior to a long-term hamstring injury in 2012-13, Ben Arfa scored or created 14 goals in 36 Newcastle appearances, or one every 2.5 games.

Regardless of the “prima donna” accusations, the numbers speak for themselves.

Flair

They say that results are the most important aspect of getting fans in the stands, closely followed by the quality of the football.

While this might not be as much of an issue in a city the size of Newcastle, where there is only one “big” club—last season’s average attendance at St James’ Park was 50,517—the Toon Army still expect to get their money’s worth.

Gouffran and Gutierrez have their moments, while new boy Jack Colback will be monitored very closely following his summer transfer from fierce rivals Sunderland, but there is no one in the squad who really gets near Ben Arfa in terms of invention, audacity and raw skill.

Using transfer figures found on Transfermarkt.co.uk, The Mag's Jim Robertson calculated Newcastle’s net spend since Mike Ashley took over has yielded a profit of £18,901,600 up until this summer’s almost £40 million outlay on nine players, but that includes the huge sums generated by the sales of Andy Carroll and Yohan Cabaye in the same time period.

But for a club of its size, the fans expect a little more than the 12th-, fifth-, 16th- and 10th-place league finishes since arriving back in the Premier League four years ago.

And failing that, they at least want to look good doing it.

Depth of position

In addition to the four players mentioned earlier—Gouffran, Gutierrez, Obertan and Ameobi—Pardew has brought in Ayoze Perez and Emmanuel Riviere from Tenerife and Saint-Etienne, respectively.

Both players have good goal-creation records with their former clubs—Perez with 23 in 41 appearances and Riviere 31 in 85—but without disrespecting Spain’s Segunda Division and the French Ligue 1, neither are up to the Premier League’s standard.

Pardew claimed in August that he wants to win a trophy this season, as reported by Lee Ryder of the Chronicle, and he has spent accordingly.

However, draws with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in their opening two encounters—including throwing away a 90th-minute lead at home to the Eagles—do not bode well, and there are reports of the Newcastle manager having two games to save his job, per Martin Hardy of The Independent.

Given the Premier League’s status as arguably the toughest division in world football, Pardew will have to hope that his summer signings settle in quicker than most.

Helping out your regional rivals

This one goes without saying: Don’t gift your enemies one of your best players.

And if you do, make sure you charge a premium—a loan deal just does not cut it with the club accountants or the fans.

All stats courtesy of Transfermarkt.co.uk unless linked otherwise.

Updates from Friday, Oct. 24

Lee Ryder of The Chronicle has an update on Siem de Jong courtesy of manager Alan Pardew:

Speaking about Newcastle’s star summer signing Pardew - who takes his team to Tottenham on Sunday with injury doubts for Papiss Cisse and Manu Riviere - said: “I think that January, probably, is the earliest for Siem, so the Christmas programme looks out, which is a shame because obviously there are a lot of games in that period.

“We have got fingers crossed that he comes back in January ready to go because the injury he’s got is such that we have to be very careful with his rehab and make sure that we don’t put him at risk.

“His thigh muscle had a tear at the top where it joins the bone, and that’s a dangerous area.”

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 21

Siem de Jong will be out of action for another two months as the Newcastle forward bids to recover from a thigh problem.

BBC Sport provides the latest:

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 2

Siem de Jong has posted an update on his recovery from the thigh injury that halted his start to life at Newcastle.

De Jong posted on his official Instagram:

Original Text

Newcastle United feared the worst when Dutch forward Siem de Jong went down with an injury during training earlier this week, and on Friday, those fears were confirmed. According to a statement made on the club's website, De Jong's thigh injury could see him miss several months of Premier League action.

According to the statement, further testing will be needed, but the outlook isn't very good:

Siem de Jong sustained an injury to his right thigh in training earlier this week and is to be assessed further at the start of next week.

Initial indications are that he is likely to be out for a number of months.

The 25-year-old forward joined the Magpies in July, and it looks like his Premier League career will be off to anything but a flying start. The Dutchman already missed time during the summer with a calf injury, as reported by the Daily Mail's Craig Hope.

Newcastle are already thin in attack, and Alan Pardew's decision not to chase an extra striker during the transfer window was questioned by several fans. Adam Armstrong and Ayoze Perez both impressed on international duty in the past week, but neither has much experience at the highest level.

De Jong's final season with Ajax was marred by injury as well, and the Dutchman struggled with form throughout the summer as a result. A lack of form may have contributed to this latest setback, but a lack of viable options up front forced Pardew's hand in playing him.

The Magpies' start to the 2014-15 season has been disappointing, collecting just two points out of their first three fixtures. As shared by Super Sport's Sias du Plessis, this is just the latest setback the team has suffered:

Further testing at the start of next week could perhaps soften the blow, and fans would love to hear the damage isn't as bad as initially feared. However, regardless of the result of those tests, De Jong will likely face an extended spell on the sidelines.

The Dutchman is still adapting to Pardew's system and will have to chase his form when he eventually returns to the pitch, so his first season at St. James' Park will likely be a forgettable one.

Twelve months ago, everything was so different for Hatem Ben Arfa and Newcastle United. The mercurial Frenchman had started the new Premier League season in fine form, was the creative influence of his side and was beginning to think about the personal accolades he could one day win.

"I know some will still take me for a fool, but I still dream for example of the Ballon d'Or," Ben Arfa told France Football (via Sky Sports) last September. "I am convinced that this is still possible.”

To many it was a "Bendtnerian" declaration, one rooted more in the misplaced arrogance of the likes of Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner than any recognisable reality.

His Newcastle coach, Alan Pardew, did not dismiss the Frenchman’s ambition out of hand, but pointed out the level of commitment, as well as natural talent, that would be needed to achieve it.

"It's always a nice dream and I encourage players to reach for the stars, so all good to him,” Pardew commented at the time, per Sporting Life. "As an individual talent, you have to say he has the potential, but it's about consistency and staying fit with Hatem and if he can do that, then he will give himself a chance."

That chance, if it is ever to be realised, will not now occur at St James’ Park. On Monday’s transfer deadline day Ben Arfa joined Hull City on a season-long loan, a deal that does not include a recall clause. With the 27-year-old only having one year remaining on his Newcastle deal, to all intents and purposes he has already left the club.

Pardew and Ben Arfa’s relationship soured over the second half of last season, with the ex-Marseille attacking midfielder relegated to the reserves by the start of the new campaign.

Pardew did not discuss Ben Arfa’s situation at length, but the rumours were rife. Fitness was a problem, as was attitude—the same old issues and difficulties surrounding his character that had enabled Newcastle to sign him from Marseille in the first place.

Per Craig Hope's Mail Online report:

Behind the scenes there have been dressing-room dressing-downs and discord over tactics, friction with team-mates, a club fine for allegedly returning overweight for pre-season training and a difference of opinion in diagnosis—and subsequent treatment—of injury. 

The reserve exile was clearly an attempt to force the Frenchman out of the club, one Ben Arfa initially resisted. But, faced with a season of no competitive football (albeit full payment of his wages), both sides reached a compromise when Hull stepped in with their offer.

"To the Toon Army I want to pass on my thanks to all the fans that supported me during my time at the club and living in a city that will be forever in my heart,” Ben Arfa said in an open letter sent to the Newcastle Chronicle, one that conspicuously did not mention Pardew. ”I wish Newcastle the best of luck. I hope they have a good season.

“I can’t wait to launch my career again with Hull and Steve Bruce. I thank him for the trust he has shown in me bringing me to this club.”

For Pardew, the decision to ostracise Ben Arfa has been widely interpreted as (yet another) that could yet cost him his job. Ben Arfa had been Newcastle’s most creative and exciting attacking player during his time at the club and, although Pardew had bought a de-facto replacement in Remy Cabella this summer, the club had failed to score a goal in either of their opening two Premier League matches.

Although Cabella had shown glimpses of his potential quality, the fans were getting somewhat antsy prior to the club’s 3-3 home draw with Crystal Palace last weekend.

The result was still a disappointment—especially considering they were denied the win by Wilfried Zaha’s injury-time equaliser—but there was one shining light; the performance of 18-year-old Rolando Aarons.

The winger, a second-half substitute, scored one goal and set up another for the home side, in a glistening performance that perhaps also deserved to be a game-winning one. Nevertheless, it continued a heady rise for the Jamaican-born player.

Forcing his way into Pardew’s thoughts after a strong pre-season, Aarons was given his senior debut in the opening-day defeat to Manchester City—looking lively and dangerous in attack, even if a mistake lead to City’s game-clinching goal.

Having then caught the eye in the Capital One Cup victory over Gillingham, Aarons was subsequently given 25 minutes to impact the game against Crystal Palace. That he did, even getting on the scoresheet with a header, with Pardew full of praise after the game.

"There’s just something about him,” Pardew told reporters. “I have given a lot of really good players a debut—Jonjo Shelvey, Mark Noble, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain spring to mind—and I would put him in that category, where he is right now, but those guys see it through and that’s what he needs to do.

"He really has been a real bonus for us this pre-season and at the start of the season."

The obvious, perhaps lazy, comparison is with Raheem Sterling—the Liverpool and England attacking midfielder who is similarly quick, agile and incisive on the ball. Like Sterling, Aarons moved to his current team from a smaller academy as a teenager (Sterling from QPR, Aarons from Bristol City), and now Aarons is hoping his progression to the first-term can be similarly electric.

“When I first came here from Bristol I found it mentally tough. It took me a while to adapt,” Aarons recently told The Guardian. “But after about a year-and-a-half I started to feel back to my old self.

“The coaches and the manager have given me confidence and have worked with me day in, day out to help me be the player I want to be.

“It’s not hard to keep my feet on the ground because it’s not my personality to get carried away with anything. I like to take things in my stride and I’m quite humble."

With the national newspapers starting to proclaim Sterling as England's next great hope, Aarons (who has also decided to represent England at international level) has also drawn widespread attention in recent days. The worry with Newcastle, of course, is that owner Mike Ashley is always looking to sell if there is a profit to be made.

Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Star linked both Liverpool and Manchester City with the emerging Aarons on Friday, and the youngster's homegrown status and lofty potential could soon command a sizeable transfer fee—one Newcastle are so notably not going to receive for Ben Arfa.

Ashley, it should not need saying, cares little for public perception and would be remarkably unperturbed if an Aarons sale caused a fan backlash. The saving grace for the fans is that such a scenario cannot occur until January now, at the very earliest.

In the meantime, Pardew knows he needs his side to prove his handling of Ben Arfa was not a mistake.

If Ben Arfa was let go because of his attitude, then Cabella was acquired because the club believes he carries a better head on a similarly-gifted body. Aarons, however, might prove the unlikely emerging talent who really helps both the team and the fans move on from old memories.

With so much pressure and scrutiny already being heaped on his shoulders, how he continues to progress from here will be illuminating as to his future prospects—whether he has the mental make-up that Pardew clearly believed Ben Arfa lacked.

"Things come unstuck and you start losing your flow and your ideas,” as Pardew said last weekend, “and then you just need that sub to make an impact."

When the transfer window slammed "shut" at 11 p.m. BST on Monday (even though in reality, the biggest deals were done way after the deadline), there was probably a wide range of emotions being let out by fans of all 20 Premier League clubs.

The joy and jubilation from some clubs was countered by collective moans and groans from others. However, of all the clubs who did business on deadline day, nobody's was as peculiar as Newcastle United's.

Alan Pardew's men had bought quite shrewdly in the months prior to the season starting, with the likes of Siem de Jong, Remy Cabella and Jack Colback all good acquisitions. But despite those buys, Newcastle's squad was still a little too light, meaning some late business was surely on the horizon.

However, they failed to bring in anyone on the final day of the window. And whilst that as a scenario was bad enough, things got even worse for Newcastle fans with a couple of significant departures.

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has joined Roma on loan, per BBC Sport (with United likely still paying a hefty chunk of his wages), while Hatem Ben Arfa has headed for Hull, per Sky Sports. So where does deadline day leave Newcastle United? In all honesty, it leaves them looking at the very realistic prospect of a mighty relegation battle.

Pardew's men have only got two points from their first three games, and whilst they were encouraging in defeat against Manchester City, it is points that ultimately matter. The early season positivity from good performances often fades quickly when results are negative, especially at a club like Newcastle.

Their inability to beat Crystal Palace at the weekend leaves more questions than answers, and a shocking deadline day only further intensifies the issues at hand. Take their defensive options, for example. Yanga-Mbiwa was one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe when Newcastle secured his signature 18 months ago, but his departure leaves a huge hole in their options at the back.

Fans were begging for a central defender to come through the door on deadline day, but instead, they let one depart. With just Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor on the books, Newcastle are one suspension or injury away from carnage.

Goals had been hard to come by in the first two games of the season, before the lively Rolando Aarons inspired the Toon to a 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Therefore, Newcastle fans may also have hoped a striker would have been incoming to give the attack a much-needed boost. However, they were once again left disappointed, as Newcastle failed to do any business whatsoever.

It's easy for fans to look at the first 11 so early on the season, but it's almost guaranteed that squad rotation is going to have to come into play at some point during the season. With such a threadbare squad at their disposal, questions will once again be asked of the management, and how they have failed to boost what is a timid-looking squad.

The table doesn't look very pretty at this moment in time, but after some shocking deadline-day business, it could get a whole lot worse in the next few months.

Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson was shown a red card after picking up two yellow cards in a five-minute span near the end of the club's match against Aston Villa. He will be forced to miss the Magpies' next fixture as a result.

The club noted the second foul that caused his dismissal from the scoreless draw:

Fabian Delph was pushing forward with pace in an attempt to jump-start a counterattacking opportunity for Villa. Williamson decided to step up with hope of thwarting the attack, but he caught the speedy midfielder for a clear foul and second booking.

Phil Roscoe of ITV called it a "clumsy challenge:"

Mike Anstead of the Daily Mail gave credit to the center back for accepting his fate:

Aston Villa passed along the final score after being unable to capitalize with the extra man for the final four minutes:

The Newcastle Post pointed out Williamson is slated to miss a midweek Cup match:

Edwin Guevara thought the defender was having a strong outing until the second foul:

As mentioned, the good news for Newcastle is that they have a Capital One Cup match against Gillingham scheduled for Tuesday. Williamson can serve his one-game ban there in a fixture he may not have started anyway.

That will allow him to become eligible for selection again next week against Crystal Palace. The Toon are scoreless through two Premier League fixtures, which makes strong play at the back essential until the attack starts to generate more goals.

Williamson was having a solid match before being shown red and has been a stalwart at the back for Newcastle over the past year.

There was a time when the affectionate nickname "ginger Iniesta" was reserved for Steve Sidwell during his time at Fulham. But following Jack Colback’s debut for Newcastle United on Sunday, the moniker has moved up north.

Such was the midfielder’s influence against Manchester City. His manager Alan Pardew was moved to describe him as "fantastic," as reported by Sky Sports, while the home crowd was equally enamoured.

A determined shift in the centre of the park saw the 24-year-old win three out of four tackles against the Premier League champions and rack up an average pass accuracy rate of 89 per cent, according to Squawka.com.

Born just a few miles outside the city, Colback famously arrived on a free transfer this summer and became the first player since 1998 to move directly between Sunderland and their fierce rivals on Tyneside.

The last name to do so was Lionel Perez, a French goalkeeper who acted purely as back-up to Shay Given and Steve Harper and never made a single senior appearance for the Magpies.

Such anonymity, however, was never going to befall Colback.

There were those who predicted the former Black Cats man would be little more than a squad player this season, playing second fiddle to the likes of Cheick Tiote, Vurnon Anita and Moussa Sissoko.

But after just one appearance in black and white, the same voices who questioned his potential impact and allegiance to the old enemy were quickly silenced.

In a hectic midfield at the weekend, Colback was a prominent figure and looked completely at home in head-to-heads with the likes of Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and David Silva.

A willingness to track back and chase lost causes has always gone down well on the St James’ Park terraces, and the Geordie was roared on thanks to his desire to do both.

But early indications suggest Newcastle have signed far more than just a hard-working ball-winner.

Given the opportunity, Colback will break forward if space and support allow it, a feature Toon fans are all too aware of after he scored against United in last season’s Tyne-Wear derby.

And that’s an area Pardew will no doubt be keen to work on.

He is by no means prolific, netting just three times last term in what was admittedly a struggling Sunderland side. That was, however, one more than Sebastian Larsson, who is widely touted as a creative dead-ball specialist.

But a fresh start under a new manager could change all that, and once Tiote is back in the side, the solidity needed to encourage an attacking mentality could alter everything.

While recent seasons have taught the Toon faithful not to get carried away, Pardew looks to have landed one of the bargains of pre-season if Colback’s debut is anything to go by.

But as far as the Magpies are concerned, the real beauty of the situation is his age. If the club plays its cards right, it could house one of the brightest box-to-box midfielders in the country over the next few years.

While the final score went against Newcastle United on Sunday, their display against Manchester City prompted cause for optimism on the St. James’ Park terraces.

And two players in particular were singled out for special praise by Magpies boss Alan Pardew, who called Jack Colback’s performance "fantastic" and hailed Remy Cabella’s artistry.

The Premier League champions left Tyneside with a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from David Silva and Sergio Aguero, but were made to work for the three points by their hosts.

And at the heart of all that was good about the Magpies, Colback and Cabella made instant impacts on their debuts after their moves from Sunderland and Montpellier, respectively.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the Toons' first game of the new season, Pardew said: “There were some outstanding performances. I thought Jack Colback was fantastic.

“Remy gave us some moments around the box that we haven’t had for a long time, certainly since [Yohan] Cabaye left. That’ll be crucial against other Premiership opposition.”

The publicity surrounding Colback’s move from United’s local rivals failed to overwhelm the 24-year-old, who produced an energetic performance in the middle of the park.

His accuracy and expertise from set pieces caused real problems for City and could become an advantageous feature of Newcastle’s game plan as the season progresses.

The Geordie midfielder got forward to good effect without ever shying away from his defensive responsibilities, and his box-to-box approach went down extremely well with the fans.

In Cabella, Pardew now has someone who is not afraid to take on players and create—something that was sorely missing as last term’s campaign descended into chaos.

In what was his first competitive appearance in English football, the French international oozed confidence and brought the crowd to their feet with his trademark step-overs.

Flair players have always been warmly welcomed by the Geordie fans, and a new crowd favourite emerged this weekend in the shape of the Corsican-born playmaker.