To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Ben Arfa did not do well at PSG
Hatem Ben Arfa is one of football’s most enigmatic players. Capable of causing havoc with his mesmeric dribbling, but so rarely using that talent to good effect, he has frustrated fans and managers his entire career.
His best form came at Newcastle under Alan Pardew and at OGC Nice under Lucien Favre. His spell at Nice, where he was rejuvenated by the Swiss coach, earned him a move to Paris Saint-Germain. But of course, he could not transfer his form at Nice to a bigger stage, at a bigger club, with bigger expectations.
The Ben Arfa we all knew returned and he was cast aside by Unai Emery, who didn’t want his bad attitude to spread throughout the squad.
During his time at PSG, he went an entire year without playing and marked the occasion by uploading a picture of a birthday cake with one candle on it to Instagram; a joke I’m sure the coaching staff and board at PSG took well.
He is also reportedly seeking damages from PSG after his year long spell without a game. His lawyer told RMC Sport that his “client’s value has depreciated after a long period without playing.
Despite his disastrous spell in Paris, he has found himself a new club, signing for Rennes after being released by PSG in June.
His new club appear to be thrilled by his arrival going by their announcement video, which begins with a shot of the Couvent de Jacobins, a Roman Catholic church in Rennes. The church is currently displaying an exhibition called “stand up!”, featuring some impressive sculptures.
The video is captioned “un nouvel artiste à Renne”, which translates to “a new artist in Rennes”.
We shall see whether his artistry has returned when he pulls on the red jersey for the first time, or whether he will fall at the wayside again.
Expo "Debout !" – Un nouvel artiste à Rennes ! pic.twitter.com/AADDQLs536
— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) September 2, 2018
