18 January 2024 , 12:59
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has had to deal with contrasting assessments of Karim Benzema from two different Gunners legends in Arsene Wenger and Emmanuel Petit.
The north Londoners have found themselves the subject of speculation suggesting Arteta could try to land Benzema's signature in a bid to solve their striking struggles. Arsenal have scored just one goal in their last three games in all competitions, in which they have lost all three against West Ham, Fulham and Liverpool respectively.
Throughout all three fixtures, Gunners attackers such as Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and even Bukayo Saka have been guilty of spurning several glorious chances. As a result, the clamour to sign a new striker is growing louder from a disgruntled Arsenal fanbase keen to keep their title hopes alive with some fresh faces in January.
Benzema is currently at Saudi side Al-Ittihad but is believed to be keen on a new challenge after struggling to settle in the Saudi Pro League following his summer switch at the start of the season. The Gunners have been identified as a potential destination, but ex-Arsenal ace Petit isn't convinced.
The 1998 World Cup winner told Compare.bet: "What’s the price for Benzema? Do you have any idea how much Benzema will be earning in Saudi? I don’t think any English club will be able to offer him the same amount of money.
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"It’s Benzema’s choice if he comes back but after winning everything with Real Madrid and being 34 years old, I don’t think he will want to come to the Premier League, it’s so physical, it’s so mentally hard, it’s not La Liga, with all the respect for him, he played for probably the biggest club in the world with great success, but it’s not the Premier League. I’m not confident Arsenal should go to Benzema, they should go for someone else."
It would seem, however, that Wenger is keen on the idea. After all, the Frenchman did try to sign Benzema while he was running things at the Emirates multiple times and back in 2021, shed light on why he was so desperate to see the former Los Blancos star line up in an Arsenal shirt.
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Arsenal have been linked with Karim Benzema but Mikel Arteta has received conflicting advice (Getty Images)"He played the game based on passing and connections, so he was an ideal player up front," Wenger explained He’s a striker who makes people around him better and sometimes you have strikers who score goals but they make players around them worse. He’s not one of them. If you put Benzema in the team, I would want to play with him."
Ultimately, the decision of course rests with Arteta and Gunners sporting director Edu. The Arsenal chief has previously conceded that signing a new striker this month is unlikely, but with the last knockings of the window soon approaching, perhaps a U-turn is on the cards.