Did Madrid just end Arsenal’s Benzema transfer hopes?

First of all Arsenal fans, I am not going to read to much into the fact that the long linked and much reported transfer target of ours, Karim Benzema, did not feature in the starting XI of Rafa Benitez’ Real Madrid team for their first La Liga game last night.

The France international was not on the bench either but that is supposedly due to a minor thigh injury. THere may be more to that than we know but it could just as easily be true so we really cannot use it to give us an indication of what is going on with the striker and his La iga club.

What I am looking at is how Madrid set up and played without him, and it is not good news for Arsenal to be honest. For one thing, Benitez did not do what some had suggested and put Gareth Bale or Cristiano Ronaldo in the centre forward position. Instead he used the young Spanish forward Jese Rodriguez as a straight replacement for Benzema.

The three front men did have some interchange of positions during the game but without much success and Jese was replaced by James Rodriguez before the hour mark.

So that kind of throws a spanner in the works of one theory of why Arsenal might be able to sign Benzema. And for another thing, Jese did not have the brilliant game that might have convinced their manager that he can do without his number nine. Madrid havre another game next weekend jut days nefore the transfer window closes, but are the hopes of the Gunners signing Benzema already dead in the water?