Former Arsenal midfielder Ismael Bennacer continues to shine at the top level, this time in the quarter-final of the Champions League for AC Milan against Napoli.
The now-25-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the Serie A. He has developed into a fantastic player for AC Milan over the last few years, but things could’ve been so different.
Bennacer could’ve easily been a regular starter at Arsenal now if he hadn’t left in 2017.
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Former Arsenal midfielder Ismael Bennacer shines in the Champions League
AC Milan took on Napoli in the first leg of the quarter-final of the Champions League last night.
Napoli are flying this season. They are 16 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, and they have been a nightmare to play against for most teams so far.
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Milan, however, showed them who was the boss, and ex-Arsenal midfielder Bennacer came up with the goods with a fantastic strike from the left side of the box.
The Algerian found his way inside the penalty area after a driving run by Brahim Diaz. He got on the ball and smashed it past Alex Meret to give his side the lead. That proved to be the winner in the end.
Milan won the game 1-0 and have a big advantage ahead of the second leg.
Arsenal tried to re-sign him in January
Back in the January transfer window three months ago, Arsenal wanted to sign a new midfielder.
Moises Caicedo of Brighton and Hove Albion was our priority, but a deal did not materialise in the end. Jorginho was the one we went for on transfer deadline day, and he is proving to be a solid addition.
However, in between those two deals, Arsenal tried to bring Bennacer back to the Emirates, five-and-a-half years after we sold him to Empoli for just £900,000, reported CalcioMercato this week. Sadly, it did not happen.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal will go back in with a new offer to sign Bennacer this summer.
