Opinion: Benzema's behavior suggests Arsenal move was close

Karim Benzema seems to have put paid to any rumours that he may be on his way to Arsenal this summer, with the Real Madrid star confirming on social media that the Santiago Bernabeu is his home.

His behaviour has not been that of a player who was determined to remain where he was though, and a deal to bring the Frenchman to the Emirates may well have been close.

Below is the image he put up on his official Twitter account, breaking many Arsenal fans’ hearts:

For all those clowns who want to make believe things at my fans. Here this is my home ! #HalaMadridYNadaMas pic.twitter.com/og6tMZKoft
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) August 24, 2015

But why did he wait until now to post this?

The Benzema to Arsenal rumours have been rumbling on for months now (via The Telegraph), so it’s not like the story has suddenly come out of nowhere. Benzema could have rubbished the reports at any time, but instead chose to wait until now to commit himself to Madrid.

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There is no way that Benzema was unaware of the stories surrounding him, as this has been one of the most heavily covered transfer sagas in years. So why wait until now unless only recently has the move broken down.

Not only did Benzema fail to debunk the rumours, he actually added fuel to the fire at times. He posted this picture on his official Instagram page, with the caption translating as, “Let us leave the past in the past.. #rip #DirectionFuture”. Which many believed was his way of saying goodbye to Madrid.

This all suggests that perhaps a move wasn’t out of the question, and that a deal may even have been close at some point.

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Regardless, it seems the 27-year-old will not be making the move to North London, so we need to focus our attentions on other targets or make do with the squad we have.