Newcastle United’s Mohamed Diame has stated his desire of a reunion with former team mate Hatem Ben Arfa in an interview with the Chronicle.
The Magpies midfielder says he still keeps in touch with his friend Ben Arfa and reckons the Paris Saint-Germain would love a move back to St James’ Park. Ben Arfa moved to Tyneside in 2011 before moving back to his country of birth when he joined Nice.
The French international is struggling for game time at European giants PSG, but Diame thinks he will make a success of his move to the Ligue 1 champions. However, Diame knows Ben Arfa has very fond memories of his time at Newcastle.
“Me and Hatem are friends. We had two seasons together at Clairefontaine. We still keep in touch now. He’s not playing a lot at Paris-Saint Germain, but everyone knows the player he is. He will be back,” the Senegal international said.
The 29-year-old revealed Ben Arfa played a role in bringing Diame to Newcastle in the summer:
“It’s true, Hatem told me to sign for Newcastle when I asked. He told me what a massive club Newcastle is. He was very happy here. He told me he had a good relationship with the fans – he loved it, he told me straight away to come to Newcastle.
“It would be nice for him to come back! He’s a player who could help the team and imagine him coming back and having happy fans who are behind him again. I think it would be good for him and I know he still loves the club.”
The 29-year-old Ben Arfa has played 18 times for PSG this season, with just six of those being starts. His current contract runs until the summer of 2018.
Newcastle United take-on Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day, the team which Diame scored the deciding goal past in last season’s play-off final.
