If Used Properly, PSG Have a Potential Superstar Signing in Hatem Ben Arfa

Over the last few seasons, Paris Saint-Germain have been no strangers to paying large transfer fees for players. Spending €64 million on Edinson Cavani is still their record purchase, but no one would be surprised if they surpassed that in the near future.

In the current market, it's hard to say that any club can find a bargain, but PSG may have already done that this summer. Hatem Ben Arfa scored 17 goals and added six assists for OGC Nice last term, helping them finish fourth in Ligue 1.

That was a remarkable finish for Claude Puel's side, and the boss has been rewarded with the role as coach of Southampton, and the former Newcastle United playmaker has won himself a contract at the Parc des Princes.

It's not often that you can pick up one of the players of the season on a free transfer. That could be enough to be classed as a bargain, but if Unai Emery can help the player continue on the same path that Puel has started him on, Ben Arfa could be one of the signings of the summer.

However, if he fails to recognise how and why he played so well for Les Aiglons, Emery risks undoing all of Puel and Ben Arfa's good work.

"My relationship with Claude Puel is like that of a father and son, in the sense that he wants to accompany me and wants me to progress,” the forward told beIN Sports, via FourFourTwo. "And it works because his message seems to be getting through. I'm very happy to have met Claude Puel, he has helped my career get back on the right track so I'm really very happy and grateful.”

Now 29 years old, last season had a make-or-break feel to it for Ben Arfa. Nice was his last chance to achieve something, to show the world that he is more than just a player you would see through vines and gifs.

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Hatem Ben Arfa is expected to move to Sevilla and pocket huge signing-on fee [Goal] https://t.co/olx97ayCS6 pic.twitter.com/vENLP7n3wX

— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) June 28, 2016"

"My career path has been a rollercoaster ride,” Ben Arfa continued. "I have struggled to find stability. It has been hard. Big things were expected of me from a very young age and I didn't live up to that!"

Well-documented problems at Lyon and Marseille led to his move to Newcastle, and although he was adored by the fans, the end product was lacking again, and Alan Pardew felt that he couldn’t carry such a luxury player.

A loan move to Hull City followed a similar path, and then Nice stepped in. Due to an administration error, Puel and Ben Arfa had to wait another six months before they could get to work, but it was well worth the wait.

After four games in Ligue 1, he had scored twice and provided an assist, but Nice only managed one win in that spell. Then between September and October, the former France international burst into life.

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VIDEO: Check out Hatem #Benarfa's spectacular solo goal from @ogcnice's 4-1 win in @ASSEofficiel here: https://t.co/R8tNx49aBW #L1Wk8

— Ligue1 (@Ligue1_ENG) September 28, 2015"

Scoring twice in the 6-1 win over Bordeaux, he added another double in the 4-1 away win over Saint-Etienne, including an amazing solo effort. They would then beat Rennes 4-1 on their travels, with Ben Arfa scoring another and setting one up.

That was the announcement to the world that he was back and better than ever.

"Hatem arrived to us more mature than he was previously," Puel told So Foot magazine, via ESPN FC's Michael Yokhin. "He wanted to make a comeback, and thus he became a good listener, ready to improve and have some reflection on his play. When we met, we made sure that it will be a win-win situation for all involved.”

"From the very start, I told him that he should not be content with one or two flashes per game," Puel continued. "I wanted him to play positionally and defend as well. He has made significant progress when playing without the ball."

Under Puel, Ben Arfa played at the head of his 4-4-2 diamond or up front when they suffered from attacking injuries.

In the past, Ben Arfa has been used as a traditional winger, left to hug the touchline, drift inside and create chances from those situations. However, at Nice, he was much more effective when given the freedom of the final third. However, at Nice, as you can see by the below graphics from StatsZone, he was much more effective when given the freedom of the final third.

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Where does Emery play Ben Arfa? His best performances came through the middle. #PSG pic.twitter.com/dDUPH9sLC0

— Andrew Gibney (@Gibney_A) July 7, 2016"

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You risk losing the influence he can have if you keep him out wide. He had a lot of freedom at #OGCNice pic.twitter.com/aDHyTb5dpr

— Andrew Gibney (@Gibney_A) July 7, 2016"

Puel played with three solid defensive midfielders in Nampalys Mendy, Jean-Michel Seri and Vincent Koziello. They protected the defence and left Ben Arfa the space and opportunity to attack at will.

He would still play in fits and bursts, but when the bursts came, more often than not, he made a difference. That’s not to say there weren't down times, too. Midway through the season, as Nice crashed to a poor run of form, Ben Arfa went 13 games without a goal or an assist.

That included his two appearances for the national team. He only played 10 minutes against Germany at the Stade de France, but he started against England at Wembley—although the game was played under difficult circumstances.

After that game, the Paris native has never featured again for Didier Deschamps’ side, and despite huge calls for him to be picked, he was only on the seven-man reserve list for the European Championships.

Despite that, he bounced back, and in the last 15 games of the season, he added four assists and scored 10 goals: a phenomenal return for an attacking midfielder. His performances attracted attention around the league, and links to PSG began to emerge.

"The door is still open for PSG," Ben Arfa told Onze Mondial magazine, via ESPN FC's Mark Rodden. "For that matter, it's open to all the clubs. I'm not closing the door on anyone.

"I can understand that there are matches where you have to tighten up, that you defend more in. But playing all the matches like that, where's your enjoyment in that? Who in Ligue 1 is really playing with the ball this season? PSG and Nice, that's all."

"In any case, he's a footballer that I like," then PSG boss Laurent Blanc told reporters when asked about Ben Arfa's comments. "We're obliged to like him because he does some incredible things. And whoever likes football is of course obliged to like that."

"Beyond that, the young guy, the man, is a bit more difficult. All the good players can interest PSG—that's the message I'd deliver to Hatem or to others," the former boss added. 

It is expected that Unai Emery will set up playing his normal 4-2-3-1 formation, and that would give the Spaniard the chance to play Ben Arfa as the No. 10 behind Edinson Cavani.

With a duo of Grzegorz Krychowiak and Marco Verratti likely playing behind the attackers, this would give the 29-year-old a similar base to what protected him at Nice. Playing with Angel Di Maria and either Lucas Moura or Javier Pastore on the other side, there is a chance to create combinations and drift wide, find space and play with a similar freedom.

Ben Arfa’s career, as he admitted, has been a rollercoaster, and right now he is at the top of another peak. There is a possibility that if played out of position, or asked to stay wide and play as a winger, he could take a drastic drop towards the bottom once again.

However, after a season with Puel guiding him, the hope is that he has learned enough to continue on the upward trajectory. There will still be ups and downs—he is never going to be a player who plays consistently for 90 minutes of every game—but when he does have his 10- or 20-minute spell, you want him to be in a place and a position where he can inflict maximum damage.

At PSG, he is now playing with the most talented group of individuals he has ever been a part of, and it’s now up to Ben Arfa to show that he has put the past behind him and that the rollercoaster ride has come to an end.