It’s too late… Arsenal no longer need Benzema… Right?

It’s sometimes lazy journalism that allows the same stories to be regurgitated year on year, or some simple minds that sit in a room spewing up all this nonsense, and I can find no realism in the latest return of the Benzema to Arsenal rumours.

Our side have been linked with him every transfer window without fail for as long as I can remember, but any sense would tell you that our capture of Alexandre Lacazette would end that.

The Former Lyon striker bagged an amazingly consistent tally of goals for his previous side, and we just broke our club record fee to land him, so in whose right mind is that believes we would now break that record to land a deal to sign an ageing Karim Benzema?

The Real Madrid striker is supposedly being put in the shop window as his club looks to raise funds for their mega-money move to sign Kylian Mbappe from Monaco. The 18 year-old enjoyed an eye-opening year in helping his side to win their first league title in some years, as well as firing his side to the Champions League semi-final stage.

The young forward has already declared that he is more interested in regular football at present than sealing his move to the top level right now, and you would have to think he would refuse to join unless he was guaranteed a decent level of action, and that could lead to Benzema losing his first-team spot.

As much as Benzema could well be open to leaving in search of regular first-team action himself, the fee being touted (€70 Million) is way above anything I can imagine Arsenal paying, especially when we just bought Lacazette for around three-quarters of that amount supposedly needed to buy his French counterpart.

Do Arsenal need Benzema? Is Wenger that much of a fan that he could try to have him and Lacazette in the side?

Pat J

22 Comments

  1. Arguably might still be a 1st choice for us for a year or 2, depending on how lacazette settles. Anything above 30-40m means there r younger n better version. Much as i like benzema, will give it a pass. Plus striker isnt probably a priority now since we signed laca and havent sold either of giroud n welbeck

  2. maybe now he’s place is bein threatened pending the arrival of mbappe he wants to alert potential bidders by using arsenal to get elsewhere – we not fish and neither are we bait. why would we buy lacazette only to then turn round and insult him with the bogus story of benzemar?

  3. Fudge Benzema!

    We need to snap up Goretzka. Xhaka, Ramsey and Coq for midfield for the whole season is suicide!

    We also have 12 homegrown players so we can still get rid of at least 3 of them (Jenkinson, Wilshere, Gibbs).

    1. Goretzka already has a verbal agreement with Munich and will join them for Freeeee! At the end of next season. This news was released ages ago, so give up man lol

  4. Why are we still getting linked with strikers when we’ve just spent £50 million on a striker?

  5. Very worrying we’re not strongly linked with a central midfielder. Looks like another season of living in hope that Ramsey will stop playing like a Sunday league player!

    1. It’s mind boggling that Wenger is willing to place the success of Arsenals season in the Xhaka/Ramsey partnership in midfield. Even substituting Le Coq for either is simply not good enough for top 4 consideration.

      Seri, Willy C., even Renato Sanchez are available and any of the three would immediately transform the midfield from a liability to a strength.

      Tick tock Arsene

      1. I agree. Wenger does this every season! Hoping poor players will FINALLY come good, instead of just going out there and buying ready made players. I don’t think he’ll every stop with the favouritism, and start picking players based on form/ability.

        Good shout on Seri, and Renato. Both available Arsene!!!

    1. What does he bring that we don’t already have??
      we need a Santi/ Wilshere type of player that will push the team forward.
      we were far too slow at times last season.

      I’d give a left bollock to sign Patrick Viera today!!

      1. Geez, people. This was in reference to us been linked with certain players. We are always linked to Benzema, and Carvalho.

  6. Unlike Giroud, Lacazette can play either wing and behind the striker in 3421, so it’s not impossible. In fact when he went to Lyon Lacazette started on the wing.

    But highly unlikely that Wenger will get Benzema. Even if Giroud was sold, I still don’t see it.

    If Wenger is smart then he will at least sign Lemar and a top quality CM like Goretzka, Seri, Carvalho etc

  7. I already answered this article in advance last week ?.
    I just saw Sanchez’s tweeted photo now lol is it cold in London? ?? his wearing a thick woolly jumper with a scarf that’s bigger than him, Wrapped around his neck ? ? Oh and that bottom lip of his ?? that’s two year old material ?? I hear that he has also had an argument with his agent regarding staying at Arsenal for the final year of his contract. The problem is He wants to move now, whereas his agent is telling him to leave for free next year.

    1. I guess it’s the other way round…as an agent, he’ll certainly make more money from Alexis’ sale now than if he were to go on a free.

      Wish Arsene would stick to his guns…keep Alexis, add Lemar and a midfield General…then, trim the squad and use the remaining weeks before the PL resumes to take some tactical lessons.

      I want to see this formation:
      Sanchez Lacazette
      Ozil
      Kol/Mon Xhaka DM* Bell/Ox
      Kos Mustafi Holding
      Cech

  8. Don’t think Real will sell Benzema, even if they sign Mbappe. If Benzema somehow did join and assuming Sanchez leaves, then Arsenal could go 3-4-1-2 with Ozil in the 10 and Benzema and Lacazette up top. However I would prefer it if Arsenal bought a like for like replacement for Sanchez if he leaves, someone who plays a similar position like Lemar. Prefer the 3-4-2-1 to 3-4-1-2 because it is easier to defend, when we defend we set up as a 5-4-1, which is difficult to break down as proven in the Man City match.

  9. Benze what?
    We’ve past that stage.
    Let’s move. More important targets/replacement are there to be sorted out.

  10. I think we don’t need Benzema anymore, nor Bale either. if Sanchez wants to leave for city we should sell him for £80- 120 and go all out for Mbappe to replace him. That would be the best Windows for Us. If City can’t buy Sanchez for £80-120 Million then they should back off, the same things goes for PSG.

  11. Bottom line regarding San-too-big-for-his-britches-Chez, is he has not openly come out to say he wants to leave. However, he has not come out to say he is willing/wanting to stay. He has a pretty big ego now thanks to Arsenal pulling him from Barca and allowing him the freedom and support to flourish. We know he wants to play every minute, yet his ego is too big to comprehend the likely scenario that if he were to move to another club, he would NOT be the center of attention all the time, likely, and he definitely would not play every minute/game elsewhere.

    Now, if he were to go to Manchity, he would NOT be “the man” there, but one of a group of egos fighting for their spotlight and he would quickly turn to sulking, this I believe. If he were to go to PSG (which I do not believe he wants to go there), again, he would have to fight for that spotlight; if Naymar does end up there, no way would he want to have to compete with his spotlight, no way. So, back to my opening comments – he is either playing little child-like games to squeeze a huge extension from Arsenal (waiting to hear what Ozil manages to squeeze so he could demand higher), or he is full of himself and believes wherever he goes he would/could be the big star anywhere else.

    BTW, has any club come out with an actual huge offer to support the notion he would be their star and number one gem? I get it, he only has a year on his contract, but still, with all ht mega $ out there now being thrown around, surely, if a club really wanted him so badly and rated him as a huge player, where are the big offers??? Perhaps other clubs would love to have him as a player, but would they want to deal with another ego in their squad? I think other clubs are watching the way he is acting now (and considering the tantrums he has already thrown) and are wondering if he would be worth the trouble? Just wondering. I’m obviously nobody related to this, but looking at this from the outside, if I were a Manager or owner, I’d be thinking, this guy is a great player, no doubt, but if he doesn’t get his way he could be an annoyance or worse.

    It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. Wouldn’t be surprised if he and Ozil are waiting for the other to make a deal so the other could demand more$ than the other to be the highest paid player on the roster . . .

  12. Ozil is not worth that much in wage. If he played for Bayern, he’d be earning below 120,000. He’s a good player, but can’t carry a team. Sanchez can carry his team to victory, he’s done it a good number of times before.

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