The rumour that Karim Benzema is coming to Arsenal is an odd one because although it mostly seems to be media speculation, it just won’t go away.
Various sports journalists, including writer, Emanuele Giulianelli, have all claimed the Real Madrid man is on his way to Arsenal but there’s been very little solid evidence that this is the case.
Benzema is coming. #Arsenal #KB9
— Emanuele Giulianelli (@EmaGiulianelli) August 15, 2015
According to reports, the forward will be moving to us for £45m and will wear the number nine shirt, left vacant by Lukas Podolski. Some are also claiming the 27-year-old will complete the move this week, although he’s been transferring ‘this week‘ for around a month now.
This is despite Rafa Benitez speaking in a manner that suggests Benzema is part of his plans for the coming season, saying, “Benzema is a great player. And one of my ideas this year is that he exceeds the barrier of 20-25 goals. In that, I have put a lot of confidence.”
As always, I’m treating this with the skepticism it deserves but I also can’t shake the feeling than there’s more than meets the eye here. The rumour won’t go away and the journalists claiming they know something seem very certain and eager to put their reputations on the line.
In addition, with Olivier Giroud back in fine form, it’s shown that we don’t necessarily need another striker as much as everyone originally believed. Although, if anything, this could help us in negotiations as we no longer seem desperate for the Madrid man.