The Guardian reporter Ed Aarons has confirmed that Chelsea are showing interest in wantaway Al-Ittihad superstar Karim Benzema.
Recent reports have emerged that Benzema wants a January exit from Al-Ittihad amid mounting pressure from the club faithful, and a move to the Premier League could be on the cards.
The reigning Saudi Pro League (SPL) champions secured Benzema’s signature with a ludicrous contract proposal last summer.
The Frenchman earns a reported £86 million a year at the Jeddah-based club.
However, his fairytale arrival in the Middle East has gone sour after failing to fire the club to consecutive SPL titles.
Al-Ittihad are 25 points off top spot and 12 adrift of the top three.
Benzema has notched 12 goals and five assists in 20 games across all competitions this season, but that has done little to repair his fragile relationship with the club.
Chelsea could do with Benzema’s skillset and leadership
One of the issues that have plagued Chelsea this season is the lack of maturity, experience and leadership in Mauricio Pochettino’s team.
The Blues are languishing in mid-table mediocrity and have flattered to deceive all season, but the issues with the ‘promising’ squad become more evident every matchday.
Aside from the naivety that reeks in the dressing room, Chelsea have also been one of the most wasteful teams in the Premier League this season.
The Blues have spurned the joint-most big chances of any side in the Premier League (41 – level with Liverpool), while only Liverpool (46.5) boast a higher expected goals (xG) tally than Pochettino’s side (42.1).
In terms of crafting clear-cut opportunities, only Newcastle United (73) and Liverpool (68) have created more big chances than Chelsea (66).
The stats prove Chelsea should be further along than they are now, but their lack of cutting edge in the final third has significantly blunted Pochettino’s attack.
Luring Benzema to London on a short-term deal would go a long way to fixing that problem ahead of snapping up a prolific forward in the summer transfer window.
(Statistics via: Fotmob).
