Arsenal Transfer News: Karim Benzema Rumours Denied, Sergio Busquets Deal Urged

Rumours linking Arsenal with a move for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema may finally be shelved—for the remainder of this summer, at least—as Gunners boss Arsene Wenger moved to deny any interest in the French forward.

Wenger was speaking after Arsenal beat Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday and was perplexed when quizzed on the Real Madrid star. “No, nothing is happening,” said the Arsenal boss, per the club’s official website. “Honestly no. I don’t know who brings that up. Is it Spanish media or English media? I don’t know.”

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Benzema is “open” to a move to the Premier League, according to El Confidencial (h/t James Orr of the Independent), and as these numbers illustrate, the striker would be a real coup for the north London club:

A top-class centre-forward certainly wouldn’t go amiss at the Emirates. While Wenger has done superbly to bring in Petr Cech this summer, a player of supreme quality leading the attack would not only refresh the Gunners’ attacking options, but also give everyone at the club a major boost in what’s a vital season for Arsenal.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe can’t foresee any high-profile forwards being drafted in by Wenger during the remaining weeks of the window, though:

Benzema would be too difficult to prise away from Real Madrid anyway. Although he doesn’t command a worldly gravitas that compares to men like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale or James Rodriguez, the Frenchman’s rounded centre-forward play is a critical component in the Real Madrid attack.

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Arsenal would be lucky to have Benzema, and you suspect, if he were available, Wenger would be happy to part with a significant amount of money to bring him in. But barring a major shift in the mindset of the Gunners boss, this one looks a long way off.

Paul Merson Wants Sergio Busquets at Arsenal

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Another area in the Arsenal squad that needs bolstering is the base of the midfield and former Gunners star Paul Merson has claimed Wenger should look to land Barcelona lynchpin Sergio Busquets.

The ex-forward has claimed that Francis Coquelin is not of the level required to carry the water in midfield for a title-winning team, and the club need an injection of quality in this facet of their squad, per Adam Skinner of the Daily Express:

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Arsenal will not win the title with just Coquelin in the defensive midfield role. They’re talking about them putting in a bid for Busquets—that would be a massive signing.

Arsenal need an experienced player, especially when you get to the latter stages of the Champions League.

You’ve got to remember that Coquelin was on loan last season at Charlton Athletic – now he’s on Arsenal’s team sheet.

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Although Arsenal supporters will be privy to this dose of ambition from their popular former player, Busquets would be a fantasy capture. The Spanish international is so important to the Barcelona setup, and it’d take an astronomical fee to convince the Catalan giants to even consider letting him leave the club.

As Merson notes, Busquets is a player who is experienced when it comes to the Champions League. These statistics from WhoScored.com illustrate how he’s excelled in the competition too:

But the Gunners would be naive to move for the player. Busquets is settled at the Camp Nou, winning the biggest trophies in the sport and is playing alongside some of the best footballers in the world every week; why would he even consider making a move anywhere else?

That’s not to say Arsenal don’t need a timely injection of class in their midfield, though. Coquelin proved he is a capable operator in holding midfield towards the back end of last season, but as previously mentioned by Merson, he’s not of the very highest level. If Wenger can upgrade this segment of the team before the window shuts, the Gunners' chances of major honours would be immediately enriched.