France winger Hatem Ben Arfa turned his season-long loan to Premier League club Newcastle into a permanent deal on Wednesday.
Newcastle announced that the 23-year-old Ben Arfa has signed a contract through June 2015 after it agreed to an undisclosed fee with Marseille.
He has only managed to make four appearances for the club after having been out of action since October when he broke his left leg in a challenge with Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong.
''I am getting back to fitness as quickly as I can,'' Ben Arfa said. ''During my time out, I have been inundated with messages of support from fans and I want to repay them all with good performances on the pitch later this season.''
Alan Pardew said that signing Ben Arfa was one of his priorities after taking charge of the club last month.
''The last thing I wanted was for us to lose him when his loan ended, so we are really pleased to have agreed that deal today,'' Pardew said. ''He's obviously a top player and he's shown that in France, at international level and in his short time here at Newcastle.''
