Newcastle United have had a tradition of being entertained by some of the best footballers in the world like Peter Beardsley and David Ginola. However, the last few years has been extremely disappointing for the Newcastle United faithful except for one season in which they finished fifth in the table. The club recently signed Marseille midfielder Ben Arfa in the hope that he would live up to his potential. The midfielder was once labelled as the next Zidane due to his skills on the ball, but his career has not progressed in the same way as many would have hoped.

Ben Arfa, though, has been looking like he is regaining his old form. He has had two great years with Newcastle and he is looking set to become the main man at St James’s Park in the coming season as well. Manager Alan Pardew has said that fans can now expect more from the player this season because he is looking like the youngster who had limitless potential. The French playmaker has not been part of the first friendly matches of Newcastle United, but he is expected to be back into the team for the match against Pacos de Ferreira.

“He’s a player fans love as he brings excitement. You’re on the edge of your seat. Newcastle have always had a tradition of that type of player. It’s important for me that we’ve got him in the squad. When we finished fifth, he had a few games where he was almost unplayable. If he gets back to that level, he’ll definitely threaten the French team, and I mean the starting XI rather than the squad. We’ve had him flat out, and he’s already reached the top speed he’s had at this football club,” said Pardew ahead of the friendly match.