Former Newcastle United defender Olivier Bernard has questioned his old club's decision to send Hatem Ben Arfa out on loan for the last year of his contract.
The out-of-favour attacking midfielder sealed a move to Hull City in the final moments of the transfer window, with Tigers manager Steve Bruce admitting that talks did not begin until 6pm.
Bernard has questioned the logic behind the move, claiming that his fellow Frenchman has the ability to embarrass Alan Pardew by performing to the best of his ability for his new club.
"It's a big gamble. It's also a big statement from Alan Pardew that he does not believe in Hatem," he told The Chronicle.
"The only problem is, it seems he is the only one who doesn't believe in him. The big issue is that Newcastle won't look very good if he starts to perform the way Hatem can in a Hull City shirt."
There is no option for a recall in the deal, meaning that Ben Arfa has almost certainly kicked his last ball for the Magpies.
Phil Archbold
