Why Said Benrahma to Arsenal would be a brilliant move

According to 90min (h/t The Express), Arsenal are plotting a move for Brentford star Said Benrahma ahead of the new campaign.

The report suggests that Arsenal are willing to pay Brentford’s £25m valuation for the Algerian but they could face competition to secure his services. It is claimed that though no formal bids have been made for Benrahma, clubs like Chelsea, Aston Villa, Leeds United, and Leicester City are interested in securing his services.

Profile

Born in Algeria, Benrahma came through the ranks of OGC Nice’s youth system. However, he spent most of his time on loan spells in France’s second division. He impressed during his time at LB Chateauroux, where he scored 10 goals and provided 5 assists in 33 games across all competitions and earned a move to Brentford in the summer of 2018.

Since then, the winger has been a regular member of the squad and has been in the best of forms. He has been a key figure under Thomas Frank and helped the Bees reach the finals of the Championship playoffs a few weeks back. He was one of the best players in the Championship last season.

Benrahma could provide depth in the wide areas for Arsenal

At the moment, the Gunners have a plethora of attacking talents in their ranks. Club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been brilliant on the left flank. Bukayo Saka is another winger who can operate in various positions.

Gabriel Martinelli did well initially but fell victim to a major injury. They also have Nicolas Pepe, who hasn’t lived up to the expectations, and Reiss Nelson, who is struggling to make his mark in the starting XI. Willian was also brought in earlier this month to strengthen the squad. However, making a move for Benrahma still seems to be sensible.

The Algerian is in the form of his life and could provide the Gunners with some much-needed extra goals. Aubameyang has been the only forward banging in goals regularly and the Algerian could be brought in to support the club captain with goals.

After racking up 10 goals and 15 assists in his debut season at Griffin Park, Benrahma managed to score 17 goals and provide 9 assists in the 2019/20 campaign. And this improvement shows he could only get better with experience. He could provide Arsenal with some depth in the wide areas, whilst also bringing healthy competition to the squad.

Read more

• Why Arsenal should let Sead Kolasinac move abroad next season
• Why Arsenal must go ahead in their pursuit of Houssem Aouar

Verdict

At 25, the Algerian is at the right time of his life to take a huge stride into the Premier League. And with a lot of youngsters at Arteta’s disposal, signing Benrahma could be helpful for them in the long run. He has the ability to succeed and could provide them with quality.