According to former Barcelona star Luis Suarez, Arsenal were on the verge of securing the signature of Karim Benzema from Real Madrid in 2014. Suarez, speaking on La Mesa, disclosed that he himself was close to joining Real Madrid from Liverpool that same summer before the 2014 World Cup. However, Suarez ultimately chose to fulfill his dream of playing for Barcelona, while Benzema’s potential move to Arsenal was in the works.
Suarez revealed, “Prior to the 2014 World Cup, Real Madrid expressed interest in signing me and everything seemed to be in order. They were prepared to offload Benzema to Arsenal, and the deal was all but finalized.”
However, the situation changed when Barcelona entered the picture during the World Cup, which then increased Suarez’s interest in joining the Catalan giants. Suarez added, “Due to the biting incident, Madrid’s interest decreased, and Barcelona became more intrigued. In the end, I had both options available to me, and I chose Barcelona because it was my lifelong aspiration.”
This revelation may be hard for Arsenal fans to accept, as Benzema went on to thrive at Real Madrid, winning numerous Champions League titles and even the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2022. It is truly remarkable to think that Los Blancos nearly allowed Benzema to depart, which could have had a significant impact on Arsenal’s fortunes during the latter stages of Arsene Wenger’s tenure. However, it should be noted that Arsenal did make notable signings in 2014, such as Alexis Sanchez, and the year prior with Mesut Ozil. Unfortunately, these additions were insufficient in propelling Arsenal to become genuine contenders for the league title.
Under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, Arsenal has returned to form, and they eventually managed to secure another talented player from Real Madrid in the form of Martin Odegaard. Odegaard initially arrived at Arsenal in a cost-effective deal, but his exceptional performances in the Premier League have undoubtedly increased his market value significantly.
According to the Source caughtoffside.com