Hatem Ben Arfa, Newcastle Terminate Contract, Midfielder Completes Nice Move

Hatem Ben Arfa and Newcastle United agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect, clearing the way for the midfielder to complete his move to Nice.

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Ben Arfa Completes Nice Move

Monday, Jan. 5

Nice have confirmed the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa via their Twitter account:

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Ben Arfa, Newcastle, Agree to Terminate Contract

Sunday, Jan. 4

Newcastle United have agreed to release Hatem Ben Arfa from his current contract with the Magpies, terminating his employment with immediate effect.  

The St James Park club made the announcement via their official Twitter account, confirming the French ace is now free to leave:

BBC Sport had reported on Saturday that Ben Arfa could well be on his way back to his home country after a recent spell with Premier League rivals, Hull City.

His most likely destination appears to be Nice—with the Ligue 1 club saying a deal was in place "in principle" for the 27-year-old attacker via their official website.

Nice said in their statement, per BBC Sport:

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Some details remain to be ironed out but Ben Arfa has never been so close to OGC Nice. The attacking midfielder should continue his career in the red and black shirt [of the French club].

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Ben Arfa has had a miserable time in England recently and a move back to France is not a surprise. 

The Northern Echo's Scott Wilson and The Chronicles' Lee Ryder both commented on Ben Arfa's exit from Newcastle, with Ryder highlighting that the Geordies' squad no longer wanted the player to be part of the team:

Ben Arfa has only managed to clock up 384 minutes for Hull recently, per WhoScored.com, signalling that his time in England was coming to an end as his performance value evaporated.

The player knows the challenge of Ligue 1 well and mid-table Nice is the correct destination for a talent who needs a fresh start.

Ben Arfa is a magnificent individual when in top form but that player has not been present for some time, with injury also hampering his consistency.

Newcastle will be pleased to have him off the wage bill so they can concentrate on new signings in the January window and both parties can split in amicable terms.