In 2015, under the instruction of Arsene Wenger, the Gunners attempted to sign Benzema but saw their efforts shut down immediately, with the player taking to social media to insist that he would remain with Madrid and that Santiago Bernabeu was his home.
Arsenal’s pursuit raised eyebrows given how catastrophically the matter panned out so publicly, with ex-Gunners star Ian Wright even speaking out to criticise his former club for how they did not get the green light from the player before making an attempt to sign him. He said: “I thought the Benzema situation was embarrassing in the way they pursued it. Trying to get a player like that, straight off the bat you have to find out if they’re interested in coming. If they’re interested, you pursue it. I thought [the way] they dealt with it was pretty bad, and the way he mugged Arsenal off on Twitter by saying Madrid is his home wasn’t great.”
