Marca has piled some praise onto Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema based on his recent exploits.
The Arsenal transfer target seems to have turned his form around in Spain, turning from a ‘sleeping giant’ into someone integral to the heart of the Real Madrid attack.
The Gunners have been consistently linked with the forward since the summer with stories appearing as recently as the weekend just passed, suggesting Arsene Wenger’s side will bid for the forward this January.
However, a report on the Marca website today suggests Benzema is now viewed much more positively and someone who is helping the current side cope with the loss of key players Mesut Ozil and Gonzalo Higuain.
“With two lethal wide men like Cristiano and Bale, Madrid needs a centre-forward who can play as a number 10 and can drop deep. Benzema is providing Özil’s assists and is scoring Higuaín’s goals, but from fewer chances,” reads the Marca report.
The Frenchman has reacted well to the criticism which plagued him over the early part of the season, when Real Madrid fans whistled and booed at the Bernabeu stadium, pleading for Carlo Ancelotti to introduce youngster Alvaro Morata into the side.
Benzema has made 16 appearances for Real Madrid across La Liga and the Champions League and his numbers suggest he is putting in a much larger shift than many realise.
He’s bagged eight goals and eight assists from all appearances this season.
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The stories about a possible exit aren’t going to go away while Arsenal don’t have a back up, other than Nicklas Bendtner, to Olivier Giroud in North London.
The point is that for all of the flack and criticism that Benzema has taken this season, his impact on the current Real Madrid side is clear and he is the primary striker at the club, supported well in wide positions by Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
“Has Karim Benzema stopped being a sleeping giant? This could well be down to Zidane, or to the fact that he has lost a bit of weight or even because Grand Theft Auto V is out, but Benzema has certainly upped his game,” adds the report.
If Benzema continues the form he’s been showing over recent weeks and continues to improve his goals and assists tallies then two things are possible.
Either Real Madrid will sell him to Arsenal but for much more than the fees of around €20-22 million being talked about or Real Madrid won’t even entertain the idea of selling him, waiting until next summer to add further attacking reinforcements.
image: © Jan S0L0
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