Hatem Ben Arfa was desperate to join Newcastle United

Aug 31 2010 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

“I’m starting from scratch in a different country. I have a new country to conquer and it’s a great challenge.”

Ben Arfa has been criticised for the manner in which he tried to force Marseille to accept Newcastle’s loan offer earlier this summer when he flew to England before the clubs had agreed the move, but he is unapologetic.

The deal had appeared to collapse when he reluctantly returned to France and threatened to go on strike before a compromise was reached, which will see the move become a permanent one if he plays 25 games this season.

Ben Arfa said: “I had no other choice. In my head, my time at Marseille was already over. I didn’t think I had done something stupid, people did not understand what I was going through.

“Much has been said about me, but I was serious. I wouldn’t have played for a year. It was a tough decision, but I would have spent a year without playing.

“I'm not a kid, I'm 23. The decisions come from me and only me. I was not manipulated by anyone.

“It was very hard psychologically. I considered stopping playing football. It made me feel awful, but thankfully it has ended well. For 15 days I didn’t know what would happen, there was a lot of stress, but the experience will make me stronger.”

Ben Arfa may have to wait to make his Newcastle debut as his fitness will have suffered during the weeks of uncertainty.

But the former Lyon prospect hopes the move to England will eventually see him regain his place in the national team after he was left out of this week’s European Championship qualifiers.

He said: “I probably missed out on the squad because of this saga. It is up to me to return with my performances.

“The goal is to resume in October for the games against Romania and Luxembourg. I hope to play my first game for Newcastle in two weeks’ time.”