The Mail Bag
Hatem Ben Arfa
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Sky Sports.com say that Everton are trying to seal a deal for Hatem Ben Arfa from Marseille. It doesn't say whether it's a loan or a permanent deal.
I had a look at Wikipedia to see what I could find out and he sounds like the French Craig Bellamy. He has had training ground bust ups with Abou Diaby, Sebastian Squillaci, Modeste Mbami, Djibril Cisse and several others. He also refused to come on as a sub in one game when the coach told him to warm up.
All that aside, if he is affordable he could be another gem who has lost his way (a la Pienaar when we signed him). I just hope he isn't a replacement fo Pienaar. Anyone know anything about him?
Dan Walshe, Posted 21/01/2010 at 11:01:28
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The steward near me did say at the Carlisle game Saha had been left out because he was joining Arsenal in exchange for Senderos... and then the next week the same steward said Alan Irvine was coming back as coach.
January is a silly month for rumours from the papers, internet sites and people who claim they know someone in the club. Moyes does have a habit of signing players relatively unknown to us without any pre-publicity he is going to sign, ie Fellaini, Bily and Pienaar. Phil Neville was signed without any press speculation beforehand. So, if and when signings do materialise, they will be surprises.
I haven't heard what happened to this Norwegian left back who was supposed to be over this week — or was that more speculation?
Think the emphasis should maybe be trying to get another definsive midfielder in. A back-up for Fellaini should he get injured for a period of time or even lose form.
That said, he has only started 6 games for Marseille this season and scored once in all competitions.
He is a very good player, but I think if he was available he would be attracting bids from Champs League clubs and we would be beaten to his signature. If Moyes pulls this one off it would be a master-stroke. I wouldn’t put it past him, but I doubt it.
He has been very highly rated for a number of years... but of course had his problems. With our financial situation, if he never had any baggage we wouldn’t be signing him.
Moyes has a track record with getting the best out of players. Only Van der Meyde was an absolute failure, but it happens, and I believe his injury problems were the main cause of his failure. If we get on loan with option to buy this is surely a no lose situation.
As for Pienaar, I think we must qualify for Europe if we want to keep hold of him. Whether this be via league or winning silverware. He is going to have the world's media following him, he is the main man of the host nation and he is going to play in a central attacking midfield role. The vultures will inevitably circle. If we lost him for any less than £12 million (considering Babel is £9 million) then I would be gutted, but I do fear we will lose him.
(Besides, we will have to sell someone in order to fund our own spending this summer...)
Pienaar and Rodwell are the two assets the vultures will be circling for. Arteta if he recovers well from injury will also be a target for the buzzards.
Yobo will leave for sure as he has further upset Moyes by being ruled out of the rest of the African Nations Cup but he is not coming home until Nigeria are knocked out. We would of got £5 or 6 million for him not too long ago but maybe £3 or 4 million now.
If we signed Ben Arfa (or a similar type player) it would give us protection against the very possible departure of Pienaar and, if Pienaar stays, the freedom to play him through the middle alongside Arteta/Cahill/Bily/Ossie with Donovan on the other side.
I think he DO need a player of this type and cover at left back. If we end up with Ben Arfa (loan to perm) and this Norwegian left back, plus pre-contracts sorted out with Beckford, Kilgallon and Joe Ledley that would mean we would effectively be sorted until the end of the summer transfer window with very little outlay.
Apart from that most players are people who aren't exactly big names or people everyone knows but then I suppose people like Arteta and Pienaar, who to be honest didn't really get any of us that excited when they came, have proven to be our best signings so maybe we should keep it that way!
Yobo is the captain of his national team, so surely his presence in training and the dressing room would be good for Nigeria.
Maybe you have no loyalty to the African Nations, but it is a massive tournament. I want Nigeria to win it because they have two Everton players there.
If they win it, imagine the confidence boost to both players, at a time when we need all players firing on all cylinders. Or imagine if they won it, and captain Joey was forced to miss out on the experience and celebrations (probably one of the most proud moments he’ll have, not to mention chance of silverware he doesn’t get here) because we demanded he came home to be treated while he can just as easily be treated over there.
Yobo is a good player, who like EVERY other player at the club suffered from bad form at the start of the season.
YOBO TO GO: MOYES IS IN FOR THE KILGALLON
HOTLINE TRANSFER WINDOW SPECIAL
Alan Nixon
Everton boss David Moyes is ready to dump Joseph Yobo and move for SHEFFIELD UNITED contract rebel Matthew Kilgallon.
Moyes is frustrated by Yobo’s form and fitness, with his nagging hamstring problem ruling him out of too many games and affecting his performances.
Yobo, 29, has left to play for Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations despite pulling out of several Everton European games - which has not endeared him to the Goodison club.
Yobo has been a great servant to the club and I have every admiration for him but his hoofball and lapses of concentration are more and more frequent.
Also, if it's a choice between Kilgallon or Yobo, I’d have Yobo every time.
I not saying Yobo leaving is not a possibility, with Heitinga and Jags probably being the first choice along with Distin. But, unless we signed someone better than Yobo, I would hope we keep him. Kilgallon and Senderos are not better than Yobo. Having 4 top defenders is necessary, and currently we need someone on loan to fill for inured Jags.
But I think to be annoyed with a player going to African Nations and staying there would be bad form. He is captain of his country so will obviously want to stay.
If we are to spend money this summer, I’d rather it be on a winger and a sub left back, and maybe another forward rather than central defenders.
Kilgallon and Senderos, even if free are not good enough for this team.
Hatem Ben Arfa on the other hand would be a quality addition. If we only got him, I would be over the moon.
"Still, I am at Marseille. If they want to look at me, they look at me — that is their job."
Hardly sounds full of interest in joining us. I fear this guy would just upset the spirit of the team. Undoubtable talent, but it's a case of whether Moyes can control his ego.
Worth a loan though; we can send him back if it does not work out.
Oh well
Also, I got an email from my cousin who lives and breathes Marseille, he is gutted that Hatem Ben Arfa is possibly coming to Everton. In his words ’our best young French player since Robert Pires is very close to coming to Everton’ (excuse grammer english is second language).
Fingers crossed we get him.
Something which I don’t think has been mentioned about Hatem Ben Arfa is that he plays on the left wing or behind the strikers. I think we could use Ben Arfa behind the likes of Saha with his pace, skill and creativity, something Tim is missing from his game.
I got the impression he was forced to play when not fully fit due to the lack of numbers and he wasn't happy as the injury has now carried over to the African Nations Cup.
Stats look poor and to me does not exactly look like a player we actually need. His goals to games ratio looks poor even for a winger, especially being as the French league is a much lower standard than that of the Premier League. Also all the reported run ins and fall outs with team mates/coaches screams out as a bad apple to me.
Going off topic a little but James Elworthy I’ve got to disagree with everything you have said about Yobo. Firstly you get the impression Yobo was made to play by Moyes whilst carrying an injury, I say that’s pure fantasy and speculation at best. Secondly Yobo is an Everton player and as long as EFC continue to pay his wages then he should be willing to run through brick walls like our Timmy! Yobo should be grateful that a club has been patient enough to stick with a defender whose frequent concentration lapses that generally end up as goals conceded and points lost!
Whether he or anyone else is willing to run through brick walls for EFC or whatever club they play for before a major international championship is a debatable subject, I would like to think he would as he is a fine player on the whole despite his mistakes. I think Yobo is a loyal Everton player and has given great service to the club but something has happened this season between him and Moyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q56pTeso0-Y
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1 Posted 21/01/2010 at 11:02:40
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