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Danny Bloomer

Former Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa signs for 10th club of his career

Former Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa has landed a move to the 10th club of his career by joining French champions Lille.

After six months out of the game following his departure from Bordeaux, Ben Arfa has penned a six-month deal at Lille that will take him to the end of the current season.

The 34-year-old joins Lille with the side currently sat 10 th in the Ligue 1 table after 20 matches and is set to play alongside reported Newcastle target Sven Botman.

Ben Arfa enjoyed a superb season when Alan Pardew guided the Magpies to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.

He netted five goals and provided six assists during that campaign, forming an excellent partnership with the likes of Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse in the final third of the field.

During his 86 appearances in the Northeast, he established a reputation of being a player who could create something out of nothing.

His goal in a 2-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers is one that will live long in the memory, as he slalomed his way through the visitors’ team from the half way line, before calmly finishing in the bottom corner.

Ben Arfa has also spent time in the Premier League at one other club, spending half of the 2014/15 season on loan at Hull City, where he was largely ineffective.

Lille is set to become the seventh Ligue 1 side he has represented in his career, following Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris Saint-Germain, Rennes and the aforementioned Bordeaux.

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