Firstly, yes i did just see THAT goal on motd.
But, ben arfa since lyon/marseille days has always had that touch of flair. he was touted as the next big thing during the days when nasri, benzema et al were being dubbed the next zidane. he did allegedly have some attitude problems but he appears to have found himself at newcastle. How much did newcastle pay for him? is he on loan at newcastle?
Cisse- £10million quid, looks to be another bargain. not jumping on the bandwagon but he looks the business, reminds me of a more powerful andy cole. welbeck could learn a thing or 2 by watching him ie he takes his chances.
Yohan Cabaye- solid CM, can defend and pass. i rate him higher than cheik tiote who had rave reviews eariler in the season.
United generally pay a premium for players they sign which is so vexing! spurs signed berba for around 10-15mil and we go and pay 30. we pay 18 for ashley young when theres players like ben arfa to be had for less. even going back to michael carrick- you could tell from his west ham days that he had class beyond his peers, but we wait around and then fork out near enough 18mil for him.
im not bashing the signings of berba young and carrick, far from it, especially with regards to berba and carrick. but in recent years who have we signed for a 'bargain' price? chicharito aside (who has either been sussed by other sides or is having second season syndrome) i cant think of many off the top of my head. what are our scouts up to? waiting to watch players signed by premier league clubs, and then deciding to go for them once they've added 10-15million to their value?
rant over, but anyhow as it looks likely that berba will be sold, we need someone with that x factor in the squad. we have nani, who can conjure up something out of nothing, but benarfa could/would've been a great alternative.
HATEM BEN ARFA, and others...
posted on 9/4/12
I notice how more and more articles are having a pop at Welbeck. Let the kid develop, he has been class this year and popped up with some important goals (his late goal against Arsenal at the Emirates kick started a VERY important run).
Yes, the goals have dried up a bit, but that is the inexperience of younger players. He is a special, special talent in and around the box (again, watch his link up play for Hernandez's goal against Wolves).
As for Ben Arfa, yea... Like him, has bags of talent.
posted on 9/4/12
Ji's cousin- re welbeck it wasnt a pop as such. his link up play and movement are superb. it does however get a tad frustrating when he misses chances that he should bury.
park hung- thanks for that refresher. rafael was 2mil? wow!
mufcstu- what makes you think cabaye is overrated?
gazza- thanks for that. 7.5mil, now thats a bargain. 14mil for valencia is a good price, especially as everybody assumed we had the full 80mil ronaldo money. but comparing 7.5mil for benarfa in comparison for 18 for young makes me cringe. then again young is english and so comes with a premium and we did buy young from possibly the second best negotiators in the PL- the same side who sold downing for 20mil!! (the best negotiators are obviously newcastle, getting cabaye, ben arfa, cisse, tiote etc on the cheap whilst flogging andy carrol for 35!)
posted on 9/4/12
haha i think we actually got rafael and fabio for less than two million
young has ridiculously good assists stats from his villa days and seems to have brought that here too.
underrated player
posted on 9/4/12
That was a bit of a master stroke really. Though not many of us were impressed at the time lol
posted on 9/4/12
Ben Arfa is inconsistent? He always seems to play well when I see him and he assists and gold return this season has been good for someone returning from such a serious injury.
posted on 10/4/12
Newcastle have a bunch of very good players, but they are punching above their weight a bit atm. Not a top 4 quality team right now IMO.
I rate Ben Arfa too, he can create something out of nothing even though he's very one footed.
posted on 10/4/12
I agree Newcastle are punching above our weight this season. None of us expected this at the start of the season. I will run naked down Blyth market if we get top four but if we don't well the EL will still be well in excess of my expectations.
Some of our signings this season have been a complete revelation. The club is more or less debt free. There is still some unrest but have to hand it to Pards, he's done a hell of a job.
Still think that is inspite of Mike Ashley. Though I still haven't got over his first season as owner, maybe, just maybe he did what needed to be done.
posted on 10/4/12
cabaye is one of the most overrated players in the league.
wow.
posted on 10/4/12
Not sure Raf was 2 million, unless it was buy one get one free.
Why compare a 21 year old Welbeck to a bloke 5 years older who should be at his peak?
posted on 10/4/12
a 21 year old michael owen was one of the deadliest finishers in the world. making comparisons when there is a genuine concern and case to be made is good as long as there is something productive to come out of it. also some players peak earlier than others. as welbeck is only 21 he can still learn, and is there a better way to learn than from looking at what your peers are up to?