When you are being paid £3.3m-a-week, you think there is no way you could be axed. Well, think again. If reports are to be believed, Karim Benzema might be stuck in a soup. His Al-Ittihad coach, Nuno Espirito Santo might be dropping him to the bench real soon. Reports say that there is a conflict between the two. It hasn’t been more than 3 months since Benzema moved to the Middle East and now he is already having issues at Al-Ittihad.
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Al-Ittihad may bench Karim Benzema because of a “tense conflict” with manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The Ballon d’Or winner left Real Madrid in June to join the Saudi Arabian team. During the Arab Club Champions Cup, he scored three goals in four games to start his life in the Middle East.
But in their first two league games, which Al-Ittihad won, the £3.3 million-per-week player has failed to find the back of the net. As per Asharq Al-Aswat, a Saudi publication, Nuno is thinking of benching Benzema.
There are reports that the striker and the former Tottenham coach have “tense” relations. It is understood it was not his decision to sign the Frenchman.
Karim Benzema under the pump
Karim Benzema is facing the heat from his manager at the moment. Meanwhile, Benzema is alleged to have grumbled about “being treated unprofessionally by his coach”. Additionally, a controversy involving the club captain has aggravated tensions.
As part of his transfer negotiations with Al-Ittihad, who won the Saudi Pro League championship under Nuno last season, Benzema had agreed to be captain. Nuno, however, immediately after his arrival awarded the armband to Romarinho, a club veteran.
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Tension between Benzema and his manager is said to have prevented the striker from showing up for practice. It is acknowledged that a solution is required, that Benzema risked expulsion if the problem could not be fixed.
Now, the Ballon d’Or winner is ‘not comfortable’ working in the current environment at Al-Ittihad, perhaps opening the door to a shock transfer. Nuno is reportedly considering dropping Benzema to allow top scorer Abde Hamdallah to play as a central striker.
Benzema has had a stunning career with Real Madrid. Benzema scored 354 goals in 648 games across a stunning 14-year stint with Real Madrid. The Frenchman won 4 La Liga titles and 5 Champions Leagues in his time in Spain.
