With no regular club football to watch, most Arsenal fans will be spending the summer waiting with baited breath to see which new players join the club.
The likes of Denilson, Andrei Arshavin and Sebastien Squillaci have already been put out to pasture, freeing up a little more cash to spend on wages. This combined with Arsenal’s most recent commercial deals, should ensure that Arsene Wenger has plenty of cash to spend this summer.
But Arsene Wenger is a smart man. He won’t be looking to splash cash without reason. As usual, he’ll be looking to find a bargain or two and won’t buy a player for what he deems to be above market price.
He won’t, for instance, spend £40m on Aston Villa’s in form and in demand striker, Christian Benteke. Yet, according to The Mirror, that’s how much Aston Villa value their Belgium forward and they won’t sell for any less.
The Gunners could certainly use a helping hand up front. With Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott better suited to the wings, the onus has been placed on new boy Olivier Giroud to deliver the goods. And whilst he’s been scoring fairly regularly, I’m not sure he’s a good fit for Arsenal.
For a start, the French forward always looks off the pace, doesn’t have a good touch and struggles to hold the ball up. For a side that rely on moving the ball about quickly, he’s not the ideal choice.
Benteke isn’t too different in physique, nor indeed, in playing style. However, he is more effective. That’s because he uses his best qualities to his advantage. This means he’s always out-muscling defenders, winning everything in the air and running with the ball at his feet whilst holding off other players.
Better still, he’s extremely confident in front of goal. In 39 appearances last season, he nabbed 23 goals. Not bad for a 22-year-old enjoying his first season in the Premier League.
Still, it’s madness for Aston Villa to value a player they bought for £8m less than a year ago at £40m. If they won’t sell for any less, the Gunners should steer well clear.
But you get the feeling a deal could be arranged. Benteke is an ambitious young man and wont be happy if he sees his current club standing in the way of his future. If Villa play too hard-ball this summer, they may only force the issue.
It’s a delicate game, but should Arsenal get their man for a decent price, they’ll be considered the winner.
What’s your take? How much is Christian Benteke worth?
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We are valuing him at 40m as a hands off warning not because we actually believe someone will bid that for him. We want to keep Benteke for another season. How hard is that for you to understand?
Keep your hair on mate.. its just bullshit rumours . anyway Benteke won’t score half the goals he got last season. Look at p.cisse when he first arrived he didn’t do much the following season. Goodluck to villa in keeping him as I don’t want him at arsenal.
Why is it madness for a club to put a value that they want on a player…. Without Benteke Villa would have been relegated last season he was involved in over 50% of Villa’s goals if he did at a top four club no one would bat an eyelid at that price….. It’s just my opinion but would you not think it would be harder to be this involved in a teams goals at the wrong end of the table?
Giroud is very good PLYER for arsenal 17 goals in is first season is excellent and by the end of the season he was on fire .
You should be paying no more than 20 million for a striker with one season in the prem. However, Carroll went for 35 and benteke is a better player and finisher, carroll has never scored 19 prem goals in a season either. falcao has set the tone for this summer at 50 million and this is going to be a record breaking summer of spending across Europe with the likes of cavani, rooney, hulk and a host of other top strikers on the move for massive money, possibly even Ronaldo and bale to move at around at a combined 140 million. I think we would sell at something above 30 especially as we are in negotiations today for a 6.5 Danish striker Helenius. Can’t see you buying benteke though, not wenger’s style to spend that big.
Why is it madness? Villa clearly don’t want to sell, why should they? It up to villa what price they name, not arsenal, Benteke or the press!
He’s happy at villa and is staying at villa 🙂
Tell that to his agent mate…
Benteke as a 3 yr contract to honour.
Aston Villa took a gamble on him and fortunately for them it worked.
To them with the major part of his contract left then he his worth what they believe he is worth to them.
So if they say £40million then its £40million.
Lets face it the only reason he may leave is due to the hype from the London press to try and get him to a London club.
If Benteke as any intelligence he will give Aston Villa and Paul Lambert at least one more season.
At least he will be guaranteed a place week in week out
No doubt about it Benteke is far better than Giroud , but this days Money is the name of the game. If u can’t splash the cash , u can’t get the best Players for your team. If Arsenal want to. Really Compete at the highest level u need to splash the cash either the player is been over value or not. But one thing that is still bothering my mind is that is Arsene Wenger ready to join the. Big clubs. By buying players that can help his cause either they are over price or not
Once again Harry you fail to disappoint us with your lack of knowledge of football and how it works. Keep up the good work mate
To be honest theres more chance benteke going to Spain then to arsenal. But not for 40mil lol. Once the player & his agent start to kick up a fuss and frets of going on strike are made villa will take the 18mil & will shut the fuck up.lol
Are you Harry the wanna be journo in disguise ?
No they wont gooner son, you’re so far off the pace it’s untrue. Three years are left on his contract, as other Villans have highlighted, and unless Paul Lambert o.k.’s any approach from possible suitors out there, be it for £40m, £35m, whatever, it certainly wont be a penny less, then big Christian is going nowhere, and will be scoring goals for fun in the famous claret and blue shirt next season.
He’s going nowhere on the cheap, so if Arsene Wenger wants him at your place, then the message is very clear. ‘Dig Deep Arsene, dig deep’. You can pick up your cut-price cheapo deals elsewhere, but if you want to lure Benteke to The Emirates, then be prepared to spend big! big! big!. Something you lot have been extremely loathe to do in the past.
Harry shouldnt u be writing kids books or something for the more simple? Do yrself, and us a favour, stop writing.
Gooners son, Bentekes got 3 years left on his contract which means yr scenario wouldnt occur for a couple of years anyhow n we’d still double our money at least. He has come out and said he likes the arsenal set up a couple of months ago. However money talks nowadays so cant ever see him in an arsenal shirt
Harry Cloke….more like Harry hill…….what rubbish again.
No one wanted to pay 7 million for benteke all had the chance but they did not take the risk villa did and it paid off benteke want to realise this and show a bit off loyalty if he want out its upto villa 40 million is not out the question. Torres 50 mill to Chelsea and what a flop. Good luck to villa hope they keep him or get shed loads of dish for him. Mr benteke has no say
Villa dont need to sell he has a long contract. If he wants to force the issue he will spend the season in the reserves as Bent did and no world cup for him. In reality his agent is just trying to squeeze another few thousand on his wages which is his job. He will stay but then will leave next year.
Use d money on lewandonski
we wnt benteke
As a Villan, I feel that Benteke has the potential to play at the very highest level.
That isn’t Arsenal these days, and I should imagine he’ll get another season under his belt with us, hopefully score some goals for Belgium in Brazil and we’ll take a handsome profit next Summer and see him move to a European title challenger.
I would be happy to see him go for £30m this Summer, but the fee of £40m would suggest that Lerner is playing the same game with pursuants of Benteke that he played with Liverpool over Gareth Barry. Put up or shut up.
For Spurs and Arsenal fans to suggest that they’d be doing us a favour to take him off our hands for £12m-£15m is laughable. Neither of you are that good any more.
At least in B6 we don’t harbour ongoing delusions of grandeur.