Some transfer rumours just deserve a Media Muppet column all to themselves and one linking Nicklas Bendtner to Aston Villa is a case in point. Unless of course, the Dane is thinking of re-inventing himself as an attacking midfielder or flying winger. We doubt that though.
Ben Crump @ Football Direct News
Headline:
Aston Villa Tempted by Arsenal Striker
Spiel:
Nicklas Bendtner will leave Arsenal this summer and Aston Villa have emerged as a possible suitor for the Danish striker.
The 26-year-old will end his nine-year spell with Arsenal this summer after falling out of favour with Arsene Wenger and [FDN] understands that Aston Villa are keen to re-ignite their interest in the Denmark international.
Villa boss Paul Lambert is keen to bring in Bendtner to provide adequate competition for Belgian striker Christian Benteke and sees Bendtner as a relatively cheap option.
The striker joined Arsenal in 2005 but also had spells with Birmingham City, Sunderland and Italian side Juventus.
He has scored 47 goals in 168 games for Arsenal but has an impressive international record of 24 goals in 56 games.
Evaluation:
1. What is it with these dubious football websites and constant tenuous links of Villa to every striker under the sun? Quagliarella, Chamakh, Griffiths and now Bendner. Obviously, they’re just doing it to create link-bait, so Villa fans help them earn advertising, but why strikers? That’s the one part of the Villa team that is ok (when it’s performing).
2. Surely football website writers know Lambert is a well-known disciplinarian? So ask yourself, is the Villa boss really going to be interested in a player who is known for dropping trousers in public, drink and driving, car-wrecking and a much publicised love life?
3. Bendtner is hardly going to take a drop in wage to move to Villa. Football ‘Journalists’ never seem to work this simple equation out.
4. Shame Bendtner’s impressive international record is irrelevant. Villa play club football. Bendtner’s club record is pants.
5. ‘To provide adequate competition for Belgian striker Christian Benteke’, the writer also manages to insult Benteke big-time with that comment. He’s no competition to the Belgian. As Juve director general Giuseppe “Beppe” Marotta once said, when Juve signed the Dane on a season’s loan: ‘Clearly he isn’t the top player we wanted’. Bendtner didn’t score once for Juve. Benteke wouldn’t even trust Bendtner to clean his boots. Neither would Kozák, come to think of it.
6. Ben Chrump? Ben Chump more like, with rumours like this.
Media Muppet Score: 10/10
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