Ismael Bennacer is a player that many Arsenal fans may not be aware of, but he was part of the Arsenal squad before emerging as one of Europe’s top holding midfielders.
The AC Milan star was associated with Arsenal from 2015 to 2017 before making a move to Empoli to gain valuable first-team experience.
During his time at Empoli, Bennacer performed exceptionally well, catching the attention of AC Milan, who subsequently signed him. He has since established himself as one of the premier holding midfielders in European football and has even been linked with a potential return to the Emirates.
Despite Arsenal’s current midfield options performing admirably, reports suggest they are interested in bringing back Bennacer, who has been in impressive form in Italy.
Now 26 years old, Bennacer reflects on his time at Arsenal, acknowledging that it was a challenging decision to leave, but one he felt was necessary for his development.
He said, as quoted by Radio Rossonera:
“It was a tough decision, but when you have the confidence to work well and put the patience into it, in the end you are rewarded. I think I was rewarded in the end.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Bennacer is just one of several players who left us and had a good career. However, there is no guarantee that he could have had a good career if he had stayed with us.
We have also moved on and have much better midfielders in our squad, so we have no regrets.
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