Category Archives: Karim Benzema

Falcao to Real Madrid= Benzema to Arsenal?

As the rumor-mill turns, we now have reports that current Colombian and former Atleti star Falcao may ditch his Monaco digs to return to Madrid, this time as yet another galáctico because, after all, Real Madrid suffered an ignominious and inglorious campaign, having to endure La Decima while finishing third in La Liga while scoring only 104 goals. Why, that’s hardly a campaign befitting a club as bedecked with baubles and cubic zirconia as is Real Madrid. What’s this world coming to when you can’t simply go out and buy trophies but have to, you know vie for them? Not content, apparently, with having Ronaldo and Bale, it seems like Florentino Perez is not sated and must have a new plaything. Enter stage-right one Radamel Falcao. Should he return to Madrid, this might render Karim Benzema superfluous to Real Madrid’s needs. Just as Bale’s transfer paved the way for Özil to come to Arsenal, might Falcao’s tranfer do the same for Benzema?

According to beIN sports,, Falcao has “agreed personal terms” with Real Madrid, and his super-agent Jorge Mendes also represents other madridistas such as Fábio Coentrão, Pepe, Ángel Di María, and Cristiano Ronaldo, so the tea-leaves are highly suggestive. Falcao would likely cost Real upwards of £60m, not that they’d bat an eye at such a fee after having paid close to £100m for Bale. Still, appearances must be kept up, and, as such, the sale of other players might become necessary. Sure, purchasing one player at x and selling another at ½(x) might add up to some fuzzy math, but who’s UEFA to quibble over such sums? It’s not as if an ostensibly rigorous series of financial sanctions meant to ensure some kind of, um, financial fair play was recently implemented.

Still, I’m not here to lament the profligacy of the likes of Real Madrid. I will say that it’s a bit pathetic to perhaps go on a buying spree when one’s chief rivals seem to be crumbling to OzyMessian dust. I could care less what happens over there. Instead, I’d rather contemplate what that kind of financial recklessness, and the flimsy fig-leaf attempts at covering it, might mean for us over here. At some level, Real have to at least pretend to balance the books, and bringing in a center-forward like Falcao might push Benzema out the door. In the past, I’ve resisted the urge to pursue Benzema, worrying that competition with Giroud for both club and country might explode and that Benzema is a bit of a pill in the locker-room and on the pitch.

However, France’s exploits thus far in the World Cup suggest that there is room for both Benzema and Giroud in a squad. Now, it’s just the one match against Switzerland that we can consider, but Benzema and Giroud were like peas ‘n carrots there as France steamrolled the Swiss en route to a 5-2 rout. Could they maintain the same kind of bonhomie when the going gets a bit rougher? We’ll see as France progresses to the next round to face Argentina, Nigeria, or Iran (depending on Tuesday’s results). It’s tantalizing to think of how well Benzema and Giroud partnered against Switzerland and to see that as a template for how well they might play together for Arsenal. Giroud’s shown a willingness to share the load and to take turns, and even Benzema, for all of his apparent petulance, platooned with Higuain a season ago, has deferred year after year to Ronaldo, and has to the do the same with Bale. All of this suggests that Benzema could rotate with and play alongside Giroud—although the latter would all but require us to switch to a 4-4-2, something Arsène has only seen fit to do in times of extraordinary need.

Still, he’s French. His market-value has dipped a bit, if only slightly, and it’s possible he could be had for something in the £30m range. That’s a right bargain for a classy striker, what with Costa and Falcao and others commanding twice that. The question then becomes, would Benzema be a discounted, bargain buy, or would he be the “world-class” striker we really need?

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Transfer round-up: Draxler, Cavani, and Fàbregas continue to flirt and seduce…

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There’s not much actual football being played at the moment as we all hold our collective breath and wait for the World Cup to begin…in two weeks’ time. Sigh. You can bet your bottom-dollar that these days will be filled with all sorts of rumors, from the scurrilous to the sensational, but few if any offering much in the way of substance. It’s at this time of year that I turn to the betting sites—not because I’m a gamblin’ man but because I find their ruthless, cold-blooded assessment of all things transfer-related to be a breath of fresh air, if only by contrast with the click-bait on offer from The Daily Mail, The Sun, Bleacher Report, and others. It’s still early days, of course, and Arsène’s proclivity for leaving things late, whether they be substitutions or transfers, should never be underestimated. Still, though, there are some encouraging signs from the legitimate businessmen’s community…

The betting sites, for better or for worse, will make their money by assessing the collective wisdom of the unwashed masses. This is a step-up from preying on that collective wisdom, but it’s a step worth nothing. Whereas the various tabloids can make their money by getting the gullible to click on any headline that includes words like EXCLUSIVE or SHOCK or various other klaxons, we can count on the betting sites for a somewhat less-cynical approach: they assess the likelihood of a player’s move to another club and offer pay-outs based on how many people see the move happening and are willing to put their money where their mouths are. It’s a little less predatory and sordid than the usual silly-season folderol.

First, a quick primer. The fractional odds you’ll see below work like this: the first number (numerator*) you’ll see is the pay-out. The second number (denominator) is what you wager. For example, with Cesc at 7/4, you could wager £4 on him going to Arsenal. Should it happen, you’d net £7. You’d leave with £7 in your pocket—the original £4 you put down plus the £3 you won. If you’re looking to pay off a mortgage or finance a pricey addiction, you’ll hope to put down see odds expressed as a very large number all by itself, such as 33 (because the denominator, 1, just isn’t listed). These are the long-shots, the unlikely bets that are unlikely to come through but will pay out handsomely if they do. Therefore, for Gooners, what we hope to see is a numerator that is lower than the denominator, implying but not proving that the move is highly likely to go through. With that in mind, here is a quick run-down of the current odds around a few high-interest players…

Player	Odds (source)
Fàbregas	7/4 (skybet)
Cavani	12 (Stanjames)
Draxler	1/2 (skybet)
Benzema	7/4 (skybet)
Khedira	6 (betvictor)
Griezmann	10/3 (skybet)

As you can see, some of the players we covet the most still dangle just out of reach. Cavani (12) and Khedira (6) look like long-shots. Even Griezmann (10/3) looks more like a money-maker rather than a sure thing. More optimistically, Benzema (7/4) is approaching a toss-up, but I’ll reserve judgment on that. Suffice it to say that he doesn’t “strike” me (ha ha) as a significant upgrade on Giroud, with whom he competes for time in the French national team. Still, maybe a move away from Real Madrid would rejuvenate the man.

More salivatingly, perhaps, is the idea that Fàbregas is attracting similar odds (7/4). After all, for all of the wanton desire that has followed Cavani, the sentimental, romantic idea of a reunion with Fàbregas is almost incalculable. Yes, we have a glut of creative midfielders, and, yes, we really should focus on a striker. Then again, it’s Cesc. Cesc, scorer of sumptuous goals such as this one against Tottenham or this against Barcelona. The rumors swirling around his return are that much harder to ignore than the rumors around some other, random player regardless of stature. Is he superfluous to our needs? Perhaps. Would our minds be blown if he did return? Certainly.

Last, but perhaps not least, is Draxler. Among the players listed, he’s the most-likely to make a move. Plunk down £2 and win…£1? That’s hardly worth the effort, which suggests that skybet, among others, rates the move as more than likely. Take that with a huge grain of salt. Does this really mean that we’ll see Draxler at the Emirates come August? Meh. Maybe. Talk of his move has been mooted by suggestions that he can’t be converted from a wide position to striker. Other concerns center around the idea that his transfer-fee—some £40m or more at one point—is justified by his performance or his potential. Then again, the same question can be asked about any of these other players.

For now, given Arsène’s habits, we may have to content ourselves with little more than speculation. After all, we’ve again finished fourth in the Prem, which offers a bit of a fig-leaf to cover our shortcomings, and we’ve won the FA Cup, which has taken the monkey from our backs and run that monkey over several times in an SUV rented for just that occasion. Let us hope then that Arsène does not feel content with these accomplishments and instead sees the need to put his money, his well-saved and parsimoniously protected money, where his mouth is.

*if you muttered to yourself that “numerator” is Latin for “number eighter”, please let me know. We’re soulmates.

Should Arsenal move for Benzema? £30m feels like a bargain…

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After years of seeing us treated as a bit of a feeder-club for others, it’s nice to turn the tables, if only once in a while. This week’s version has us treating none other than Real Madrid as just that kind of feeder-club. Having passed on Gonzalo Higuaín after Florentino Perez apparently upped the price from £22m to £35m, we flirted also with Ángel Di María before “settling” for Mesut. Along the way, there were rumors of Karim Benzema also making a move to Arsenal, but that never came to pass, but we’ve now come full-circle with suggestions that we’re again after the French striker. Compared to the price-tags attached to others, such as Costa and Cavani, £30m feels like a bargain, and we all know how much Arsène loves to clip coupons and buy on the cheap.

The problem with buying on the cheap, of course, is that you get what you pay for. A quick glance shows that Benzema is a talented, at-times prolific scorer. He’s capable of scoring wondrous goals. However, I have my doubts. Last season, sharing time with Higuaín at centre-forward, Benzema delivered 20 goals and 20 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions. This season, playing as the out-and-out first-choice centre-forward, he’s upped his tally to 24 goals and 14 assists in 50 appearances. In other words, while playing for a free-scoring Real Madrid and benefitting from the departure of Higuaín, Benzema accounted for a lower percentage of Real Madrid’s goals than he did last season. One might have a right to expect the opposite to happen, and one would be correct.

At times, he can be a dynamic, game-changing player. If he can be had for £25-30m, that’s hard to pass up. After all, the going rate for a season-changing player looks to be double-that. The question then becomes whether or not Benzema is a game-changing or a season-changing kind of player. The balance of evidence suggests that it’s the former more than the latter. Real Madrid looks like they’ll finish third in La Liga, their lowest finish since, well, ever, and this is despite Ronaldo and Bale having banner-years. At some level, then, it feels like Benzema has failed to pick up the slack left by Higuaín’s departure. Higuaín, in his last season at Real Madrid, managed to bag 18 goals and nine assists. Benzema has failed to fill the void that Higuaín’s departure created. Even while playing for a club that dominates opponents as thoroughly as Real Madrid does, Benzema has not delivered.

At the national level, Benzema has had to worry about competing with none other than Olivier Giroud. Indeed, at times, it has looked like Giroud has gotten the upper hand. While there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of a rift in the rivalry, it’s hard to imagine the two of them creating positive chemistry while competing for time on the pitch for club and country. It’s not that Benzema would create a toxic atmosphere should we sign him only to see him struggle to supersede Giroud, but why commit so much money to a player who offers only a modest upgrade over what we currently have. Giroud, after all, has now gone for 22 goals and nine assists in his 36 ~~Prem~~ all appearances. Yes, we need an upgrade on, or at least an alternative to, Giroud. I’m just not sure that Benzema is that upgrade. An alternative? Yes.

Whether an alternative will be enough for us to close the gap on Chelsea, Liverpool, and Man City is another question. It’s unlikely that any of them will stand by, twiddling their thumbs. Therefore, our apparent interest in Benzema is intrigues me without inspiring me.

Are we after Benzema—and should we be?

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As the season draws to a close, thoughts start to turn to the summer transfer-window. At a risk of overlooking the fact that we still have to actually clinch fourth place and perhaps win the FA Cup before counting our chickens, we’re well aware of our deficiencies and needs going forward and it might be wise to address them, even if only to assuage the more unhinged among us that something is being done. Still, as Ernest Hemingway once put it, “never mistake motion for action.” With that in mind, remember that there will always be an insane amount of motion. What we’re hoping for, of course, is some decisive action of the sort that will enhance our chances going forward. Does Karim Benzema qualify as motion, then, or action?

We kicked the tires on Benzema this summer before ultimately “settling” for Mesut Özil. I’ve never been a big fan of his, whether it’s the ridiculous haircuts, the rape allegations, the diffidence…that said, there’s a scarcity of strikers out there, and, as we all know, Giroud isn’t among the best. He’s been, at best, serviceable. He’s gotten the job done, more often than not, but not often enough. We’ve gotten by. He’s not the problem. as a recent tweet put it, the problem is having only Giroud. Whether Benzema is enough of an upgrade is another question. For one thing, they have been neck-and-neck in the French national team, implying that one is not necessarily more vital than the other, at least on that stage. A quick look at Benzema’s stats—32 La Liga appearances, 17 goals, nine assists—look to be a modest improvement over Giroud’s—33 Prem appearances , 14 goals, seven assists. Even if Benzema is a more-clinical finisher than Giroud, we have to take into account the more-free scoring nature of La Liga, in which Real Madrid have a +62 goal-differential on the season, and we should remember that Benzema’s stats might be a bit inflated.

Speaking of inflated, we might have to offer as much as £50m, if not more, just to get the conversation started. Given our other needs, I’m not sure Benzema’s value is worth the cost. While a little in-squad competition can boost each player’s performance, I’m not sure we want the soap-opera that might ensure if Giroud and Benzema are competing with each other for playing time at club and country. I can see Giroud taking it like a man and doing his level-best to earn the spot; I’m not as confident that Benzema, having come over from Real Madrid for a transfer-fee roughly four times that of Giroud’s, would be as stoic about it. He’s been guilty in the past of sulking and of lackadaisical play, behaviors that might come more to the fore if he loses out on a starting spot. It’s a role (the starting spot, if not the sulking) he’s come to expect at Real Madrid, they of the regular contention for La Liga and Champions League silverware, and he’d likely assume that coming to Arsenal would cement his position as the #1 striker. As the club’s newest, high profile signing, no longer second- (or third-) fiddle to Ronaldo and now Bale, he’s looking for a promotion, not more competition. He’s just now starting to enjoy his increased playing time in Gonzalo Higuain’s absence; why leave a good thing for a less-certain one—in terms of playing time for one, and (much as it pains me to admit) in terms of silverware?

Still, the transfer-window is capable of head-slappers and jaw-droppers. Bale to Real Madrid for £100m? Sure. Meymar to Barcelona for £57m and a raft of tax-fraud charges? Why not? Who’s to stop Real Madrid from going after Luis Suarez? Now that Barcelona’s transfer-ban has been suspended due to their appeal, Real Madrid might be taking a harder look at how to improve their squad, not that they ever need a specific reason as long as Florentino Perez is in charge, and thus might the merry-go-round start. As with their purchase of Bale, they felt a need to sell off other assets (Özil). Should they go after Suarez, Cavani, or someone else, they might again feel the pressure. If Benzema becomes available, though, I still don’t feel like we should be going after him unless, like Chelsea or City, we have the ability to acquire players just to keep them out of rivals’ hands. We don’t.

If we could get Benzema for something in the £20-25m range, I’d say sure. However, that’s as unlikely as the scenario I just presented above. Let’s wait to see how our season turns out and hope that the rumors regarding Benzema are just that: rumors.

Benzema, Bergkamp, and Lewandowski…

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Sigh. Another interlull day does what it does. I can’t even drum up much excitement for the qualifiers. Germany and Belgium are all squared away, but England, France, and Spain still have to keep an eye on the rear-view mirror. The Czech Republic could still sneak in, but Wales and Poland are both eliminated. One might hope then that Poland rolls over for England to assure that England finishes above Ukraine, who travel to winless, goal-less San Marino and its minus-45 goal-differential. Coming on the heels of Ukraine’s fans’ despicable behavior towards San Marino in the first leg, one hopes that a bit of karma delivers San Marino a famous 10-0 victory. Time will tell.

As for Arsenal news, it’s slim-pickings indeed, as the most noise seems to come from what didn’t happen or won’t happen until January if it happens at all. I refer first to the fake Bergkamp twitter account @DBergkamp1969, which has been suspended after it was exposed as a sham. I’m not sure what would motivate a person to embark on such a fruitless project; I worry about the 20 minutes of my own life that I wasted tweeting #RedknappClaims such as “‘Arry knew she was a tranny the whole time he was watching The Crying Game.” Comic gold, I’m sure, but was it worth it? I’m sure that whoever set up the take Bergkamp account was twirling the ends of his handlebar moustache as he set up the account and said something like “Curses! Foiled again! If only it wasn’t for those meddling kids!” once the account was suspended. Shame on me, of course, for following the account. I’m not sure what I expected to get out of it. Did I think I’d manage to tweet him with a just-right mixture of warmth and aloofness and nonchalance that would inspire Dennis to reach out, not with a tweet, but with a sincere and heartfelt DM? Alas, it was not to be, and it’s a bit of a shame that we won’t be hearing from him, at least via twitter, because his insights into the game, and his recollections of his time with Arsenal, would make for some beautiful reading. Maybe he should skip twitter altogether and just put out a book…

Elsewhere, there’s tall-talk already of Karim Benzema being made available at a “cut-rate” price of £20m and of Robert Lewandowski saying that he “never said that [he] will sign a contract with Bayern” and he “would like to play in [sic] Premier League”. Each of these has been seized on by eager minds as doors thrown open to Arsenal. First, Benzema. I’m not wildly enthusiastic about him, certainly not as much as I was for Higuain. He’s lackadaisical, and aside from a strong showing against Galatasaray, hasn’t done much yet to distinguish himself for a free-scoring Real Madrid. One would think that Higuain’s departure would have given Benzema room to make his mark, but, aside from a ridiculous haircut, there’s been little positive to say about him. The contrast between signing Mesut Özil from Real Madrid and signing Karim Benzema strikes me. The first is the steal of the season and sent a strong signal about our growing ambitions. Özil is, after all, touted as being among the world’s ten best footballers, and for him to leave Real Madrid for any club is stunning. On the other hand, we have reports of Real Madrid actively shopping Benzema at a price two-thirds of what they paid for him in 2009. With the market for strikers what is was this summer, something stinks there. He’s only gone for two goals from 26 shots in eight matches, and he’s apparently second-choice for the French national team behind none other than Olivier Giroud. Giroud has spoken openly about wanting another striker, and perhaps Benzema would thrive in a new setting and under Arsène’s management, but I worry about the locker-room tensions there. That said, it’s October, and there’s a lot of football to be played between now and January. Let’s see how Benzema does—and what he might have to say about joining Arsenal—before we get too worked up about him one way or the other.

In similar fashion, Lewandowski’s comments feel exciting at first blush…until we remind ourselves that, again, it’s only October, and he’s highly unlikely to leave Dortmund in January. Even if he’s now talking down a move to Bayern, this is probably little more than maneuvering ahead of any negotiations over wages. If he’s seen as committed exclusively to Bayern, this could depress his value. Keeping the likes of us, Man U, and Chelsea interested is a solid tactic for extracting the best deal for himself (and I don’t mean that as a criticism). I’ve joked in the past that we should sign Lewandowski to save Dortmund the anger and disappointment of seeing him leave for Bayern, the same anger and disappointment we felt when van Persie left for Man U, but maybe there’s something to it. If he’s dead-set on leaving, we’d be remiss to ignore him. He wouldn’t be cheap, of course, and might even look to be the highest-paid player in most squads. As with Benzema, I refuse to get excited about him at this point. I am excited about Lewandowski in a way that I’m not about Benzema, and I think his signing could feel almost as good as Özil’s was. His potential appearance at Wembley on Tuesday, in front of as many as 18,000 Polish fans, would offer a tantalizing, up-close view of his talents. However, it’ll have to sit on the back, back-burner for now.

Looking past that and back to Arsenal itself, it looks like we could have Rosicky, Cazorla, and Sanogo available to face Norwich on Saturday, and the idea of seeing Cazorla partnering with Özil has me drooling already. We’ll take a closer look at the match later in the week. Until next time, thanks for stopping by…

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