Medhi Benatia

[Furious]

This Nicolo bloke is a major fraud.

Wasn't he the one making up rumours that Banega was joining us during the summer?

 

[Slartibartfast]

Could always offer them Ramsey now.

True. It would depend on whether or not they believed they need Ramsey now since they're apparently getting him in the summer anyway. But it couldn't hurt. Although with the injuries Arsenal might not want to do that just yet either.

 

[Ceballinhos]

Are we really after him though?

I think he might force his way out since he's been complaining about his lack of game time for a few months now.

But I don't think we're after him. We've been linked to him last summer too.

 

[A_G]

This Nicolo bloke is a major fraud.

Wasn't he the one making up rumours that Banega was joining us during the summer?

He's been a fraud for years:

 

[al-Ustaadh]

We should just offer Ramsey for Benatia. Be done with it, especially if we're getting Suarez.

 

[HBL]

Would love him here, really classy defender.

 

[2Smokeyy]

This would be the perfect transfer for us. He’s been frozen out on the bench but even the Juve fans would prefer that he starts ahead of Bonucci.

The scouts on AM are likening him to the Lichtsteiner signing but Benatia still has a lot to offer. I’ve been following their games and he was excellent for Juventus last season and strangely has been out of the team due to the return of Bonucci. He hinted weeks back that if he wasn’t getting game time by January he’d have to look elsewhere.

A Sokratis & Benatia partnership would be interesting. I’m not sure if it will work, they’re both very aggressive and put everything into challenges. He’d be a massive upgrade on Mustafi/Kos.

Sign him up.

 

[OnlyOne]

Doubt we're in for him, sure he has a very poor injury record right?

 

[HBL]

Doubt we're in for him, sure he has a very poor injury record right?

Not really & they are niggles rather than long term injuries usually. Hasn't been injured since October 2017

 

[OSBK]

We need a cb and he is a good cb, no brainer.

 

[Zaza]

Nope. He's past it...injury prone too.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

The fact that this signing makes too much sense & the fact that the club in need are Arsenal are sure signs it will not happen

 

[LG10]

Would be a good signing, would be our best cb immediately. Hopefully he doesn’t break down the minute we sign him

 

[Wryer]

What is his distribution like?

I know he's a good overall defender, but we desperately need better distribution from the back. We have enough blood and thunder defenders like Kos, Mustafi and Sok.

 

[WhiteArse]

Doubt we're in for him, sure he has a very poor injury record right?

Nope. He's past it...injury prone too.

Sounds just right for us then! Sign him up!

 

[TorontoGooner76]

Even though Emery would like to bring in a CB in this window, I don't think this is the kind we can expect unless it would be a loan situation. The club are clearly trying to get younger and the last thing we need is to keep signing 30 year olds that will have no value after their time here is up.

 

[asukru]

Loan him with the option to buy and send Ramsey the other way is what I say

 

[Batman]

Even though Emery would like to bring in a CB in this window, I don't think this is the kind we can expect unless it would be a loan situation. The club are clearly trying to get younger and the last thing we need is to keep signing 30 year olds that will have no value after their time here is up.

As I've stated in at least one other thread perhaps even about Benatia, you can't be looking years down the road with every signing. Arshavin was ultimately a disappointment here but single handedly dragging us into the CL his first half season here made him worth every penny even if he'd never played again. If Benatia can get us CL football either through the EL or finishing top 4 then his value is exponentially higher than what should not be a crazy fee, especially if giving them Ramsey early is used as a makeweight. The margins are looking to be razor thin to get into that 4th spot and if you can have Benatia for 10 matches that you'd have had to feature a worse option, who knows how many points he saves or earns you. 1 point could make the difference. 1 goal could make the difference. We have to be both looking to the future but also trying our best to get back into the CL this season so that we can both afford and appeal to the kind of players we need to ensure our future.

 

[dashsnow17]

As I've stated in at least one other thread perhaps even about Benatia, you can't be looking years down the road with every signing. Arshavin was ultimately a disappointment here but single handedly dragging us into the CL his first half season here made him worth every penny even if he'd never played again. If Benatia can get us CL football either through the EL or finishing top 4 then his value is exponentially higher than what should not be a crazy fee, especially if giving them Ramsey early is used as a makeweight. The margins are looking to be razor thin to get into that 4th spot and if you can have Benatia for 10 matches that you'd have had to feature a worse option, who knows how many points he saves or earns you. 1 point could make the difference. 1 goal could make the difference. We have to be both looking to the future but also trying our best to get back into the CL this season so that we can both afford and appeal to the kind of players we need to ensure our future.

Agree with that. We obviously need longer term planning and people would roll their eyes at a 31 year old, but we also desperately need CL football next season and our defence is the only thing that will stop us getting it. So improve the defence however you can. Come the summer we could be shipping out Kos, Chambers, maybe even Mustafi, there's time to buy a longer term option then.

 

[Batman]

Agree with that. We obviously need longer term planning and people would roll their eyes at a 31 year old, but we also desperately need CL football next season and our defence is the only thing that will stop us getting it. So improve the defence however you can. Come the summer we could be shipping out Kos, Chambers, maybe even Mustafi, there's time to buy a longer term option then.

Exactly. And I urge people to stop thinking age is the same across positions when it's not. 31 for a defender is very different to 31 for a striker or midfielder. Many of the great defenders of recent vintage were still at or near the peak of their powers at 31. It's not some death sentence. If a player is committed to taking care of themselves and they are fortunate to avoid major injury they can easily be at or near their best at that age and even a couple of years down the line. Ramos and Godin are both older than Benatia and I doubt anyone would say no to them for the next couple of years based on their age.