Chris Hughton: New boys need time to settle in

Sep 4 2010 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

CHRIS Hughton admits it is up to Newcastle United’s staff and players to get their new signings settled and ready for Premier League action as quickly as possible.

Hughton’s chief concerns surround foreign imports Hatem Ben Arfa and Cheik Tiote, particularly as they have hardly seen Tiote since he signed for the Magpies last month.

The Ivory Coast international has been away with his country this week, and spent a fortnight waiting for a work permit following his £3m move from FC Twente, so Hughton is not sure what sort of condition he is in.

Ben Arfa has spent a good week training on Tyneside, but United’s manager admitted it is always a risk when you throw a player into action when they have never played in this country before, and that it could be months before he sees the best of them.

He said: “It is down to the individual how long it takes them to settle because everyone is different, but it is also up to us, the staff and players, to do everything we can to get them settled as quickly as possible.

“It can be difficult for some players coming in to a different sort of working environment in a different country and some do struggle. At the moment, we don’t know how long it is going to take for Tiote and Ben Arfa to adapt to English football.

“Some players pretty much get it straight away, but more often than not there is a settling-in period. It could be months until we see the best of them, it might only be a few

weeks. But the sooner we can get them settled and up to speed, the better for us as a football club because they are two very good players.”