West Ham United love a flair player and if he’s a bit eccentric then all the better.

That’s why the likes of Paolo Di Canio and Dimitri Payet succeed with the Hammers.

Since Payet’s acrimonious departure back to Marseille in January, industrious replacements Robert Snodgrass and Marko Arnautovic haven’t hit the mark.

New West Ham gaffer David Moyes will no doubt come in and want to add strong defensive foundations. The Scot will want to make the Hammers hard to beat and that’s a great starting point, if he can make it happen.

That being said the Irons support always want to see a fair player who can make a difference in games. So the West Ham board and their new manager should look at the possibility of bringing in an attacking maestro that can get fans off their seats and add more assists and goals to the West Ham team.

A name that could worth noting is Hatem Ben Arfa.

The Frenchman has a reputation you have to be wary of. He can be arrogant and needs to be man-managed perfectly to get the best out of him but surely the same can be said of Payet and Paolo.

Ben Arfa has recently been linked with a move to Leicester City, as the new Foxes boss Claude Puel got the best out of the forward at OGC Nice in the 2015-16 season.

Puel recently said this about his former star man:

“I appreciate the player, but I also appreciate the person.”

His form for Les Aiglons, under Claude, saw Hatem score seventeen top flight goals and create six Ligue 1 assists. His performances were a big reason in Nice’s rise up the French table and they secured an impressive fourth place finish. It also won him a recall into the French national squad.

Ben Arfa’s move to Ligue 1 giants PSG hasn’t really gone to plan.

While his bank balance has been enhanced greatly, the player has found league starts very hard to come by.  He made just five league starts last term and hasn’t even played a single minute of Ligue 1 football during this  campaign.

His relationship with PSG’s Unai Emery has been difficult to say the least. The forward has been forced to train with the reserves a few times in the last twelve months.

It must be nice to pick up around £115k a week and doing very little for it but surely a thirty year old footballer wants to be playing every week. Ben Arfa should have a desire to once again prove himself.

The attacker was a fan favourite during his stint at Newcastle United. His trickery, pace and guile caused opposition defences a torrid time but only when he was happy and focused. The fact he has Premier League experience could be a major plus when deciding if he’s worth taking a risk on.

Hammers manager Moyes does have a history of giving a creative talent more freedom in his teams, Mikel Arteta at Everton immediately springs to mind.

Hatem Ben Arfa’s contract is up next summer and PSG are definitely not going to offer him a new deal. He’ll be free to leave the Parc des Princes in the winter transfer window but his huge wage demands could put sides off.

But that might actually play into West Ham’s hands. They could bring the play-maker in on a loan until the end of the season, paying a fraction of his wage. PSG might be happy to take up the slack in terms of his salary if it means he leaves the squad.

The Irons could then get a maverick player with a point to prove. His ability is unquestionable as long as he has his head screwed on.

If David Moyes can get the best out of him, then Moyes will show the West Ham faithful that he understands the want to see good, exciting and creative football.

Obviously it would be a risk but sometimes a risk is worth taking.

Posted on November 18th, 2017 by scott
Filed under: Article