Arsene Wenger has suggested that Karim Benzema could be the
perfect January signing for Arsenal, insisting the Frenchman 'makes people
around him better'.
Benzema is currently plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, having
left Real Madrid to join Al-Ittihad last summer.
The 36-year-old has recently been linked with a move back to
Europe, with his big-money move to Saudi Arabia reportedly turning sour after
just half a season. He failed to show up for training on consecutive days,
according to AS, but Al-Ittihad later said that he was given permission to
return to Madrid due to 'particular circumstances'.
Wenger, who tried to sign Benzema during his time in charge
of Arsenal, previously claimed that he would be a shrewd addition to Mikel
Arteta's squad due to his ability to bring the best out of his team-mates.
Speaking in 2021, Wenger said: "He was in competition
with [Gonzalo] Higuain for a while [at Real Madrid]. It was Higuain for three
games, three games for Benzema. He played the game based on passing and
connections, so he was an ideal player up front.
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."
Arsenal could benefit from strengthening their options in
attack, with the Gunners lacking a prolific goalscorer at the top of the pitch.
Their lack of bite was clear to see in their FA Cup third round defeat to
Liverpool, in which they dominated for large parts but failed to convert any of
their chances into goals.
Source: express.co.uk
