Transfer Balls: Karim Benzema has Arsenal fans walking in Wengerland
More news on Arsenal and Karim Benzema, the Real Madrid and France striker linked by a myriad reports with a move to the Gunners.
The Telegraph says “Gunners clear to sign Karim Benzema for £46m“. Clear? Not really because ESPN says Arsenal are not interested in the player.
Madrid-based newspaper AS says Arsenal have set aside €65 million to sign the striker.
But Arsenal boss Arsene, Wenger said only yesterday:
“No, nothing is happening. Honestly, no. I don’t know who brings that up. Is it Spanish media or English media? I don’t know.”
Back to the Telegraph, then, which states:
Real Madrid are resigned to losing Karim Benzema to Arsenal this summer, and have already began targetting replacements for the French striker.
The Metro agrees, saying Benzema will join the Gunners for £50m. But its source is the aforesaid AS, which turns out to be the Telegraph’s only source, too.
What AS reports is this:
…Wenger himself is fully aware of how difficult such an operation would be… The club’s technical department are studying other options but until they have used up every resource to land the Madrid striker, other candidates will remain secondary to Wenger’s plans.
But the operation to land Benzema is full of complications. He renewed his contract until 2019 with Madrid just over a year ago and as it stands, he is the team’s first choice striker, although Benítez has experimented this summer with Jesé and Cristiano playing in a more central position in an attempt to have an alternative to the ‘BBC’ attacking trio. During the recent tours of Australia and China, Benzema offered two contrasting sides to his game – he scored a sensational volley against Manchester City in Melbourne but was largely absent in the friendly against AC Milan in Shanghai. Benítez is also concerned that the player is struggling to apply the pressure which he is demanding from the whole team to make his 4-2-3-1 set-up function as he intends.
And as for being resigned to losing the player, a few days ago, Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez stated:
“People are asking me about different players that maybe we will buy and I always say the same thing, ‘he’s not our player, I will not talk about that’. In this case Karim is our player so I will not talk about that. I hope, I’m sure, that he will stay with us.”
Is there a shred of evidence that Benzema is actually joining the Gunners? The Daily Star says there is:
There is a modicum of hope for Arsenal fans after Benzema followed an Instagram account named ‘Wengerland‘.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 3rd, August 2015 | In: Liverpool, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
